Overview:
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres visited Haiti on Tuesday in a show of solidarity amid escalating gang violence and a prolonged political crisis marked by nearly a decade without elections. He described Haiti as facing the Western Hemisphere’s worst humanitarian crisis, with more than 2,300 people killed and nearly 1.5 million displaced. Guterres condemned what he called the international community’s longstanding indifference and urged stronger support for security efforts.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — During his visit to Haiti on Tuesday, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres criticized the international community’s inaction and urged Haitians not to miss the opportunity to pull out of the multidimensional crisis.
Speaking at a press conference in Pétion-Ville before departing the country, Guterres said Haitians should know they are not alone and that the world cannot continue to turn away from the country’s suffering.
“Haiti cannot wait,” Guterres said. “The greatest shame is not the gang violence, but indifference — that of a world that has looked away for far too long.”
His remarks amounted to one of the strongest criticisms yet from a senior international official of the global response to Haiti’s crisis. For years, Haitian leaders, civil society organizations and humanitarian agencies have warned that international pledges have often failed to translate into meaningful action.
Humanitarian response plans have repeatedly fallen short of funding targets and security assistance has arrived slowly or not at all; promised support for international security missions has lagged behind urgent needs, and efforts to help restore democratic institutions have yielded limited results. As gangs expanded their territorial control, many have accused the international community of reacting too late and doing too little to help address the country’s deteriorating security, political and humanitarian conditions.
Guterres was received by Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé and met with representatives from various sectors of Haitian society, as well as people displaced by violence.
The U.N. chief described Haiti as facing the most severe humanitarian crisis in the Western Hemisphere and one of the fastest-deteriorating situations in the world.
According to Guterres, gang violence has killed more than 2,300 people and injured more than 1,100 others in Haiti since the beginning of 2026. Approximately 6.4 million people — more than half the country’s population — now require humanitarian assistance, up from 5.5 million two years ago, Guterres said. Nearly 1.5 million people have also been displaced by violence, the highest number ever recorded he said citing UN figures.
The crisis continues to worsen
One of the latest outbreaks of violence reportedly occurred on June 13 in the Belekou neighborhood of Cité Soleil slum, where armed clashes between rival gangs left more than 30 people dead, according to local organizations.
The organization Combite pour la Paix et le Développement (CPD)—French for Togetherness for Peace and Development—expressed concern on X, reporting that the violence erupted during a rara procession originating in the nearby neighborhood of Wharf Jérémie following Haiti’s World Cup match against Scotland.
Women and children continue to bear a disproportionate share of the crisis, Guterres said.
More than 20 women and girls were subjected to sexual violence each day on average during the first quarter of 2026, he remarked. He also noted that gang recruitment of children has tripled over the past year, with some estimates suggesting that as many as half of all gang members are minors.
“Gangs are terrorizing the country, and for too many Haitians, each day is a struggle for survival,” Guterres lamented. “This is absolutely intolerable. It must stop.”
Progress remains possible, Guterres says
Despite the grim realities, Guterres said there are signs that progress remains possible.
He pointed to the recovery of several neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince, the return of the Council of Ministers to the National Palace after more than three years and the potential impact of the recently deployed Gang Suppression Force (GSF).
Guterres said the force represents an opportunity to reduce violence and restore state authority, but warned that success will require stronger international backing.
“Haiti is not asking for charity,” he said. “It is asking the international community to keep its promises.”
The secretary-general called on donor countries and international partners to provide the resources needed to strengthen security efforts and expand humanitarian assistance.
At the same time, he stressed that the responsibility for rebuilding Haiti ultimately rests with Haitians themselves.
“The opportunity that exists today may not come again. I am counting on Haitian leaders to seize it,” Guterres added.
“It is for Haitians, and Haitians alone, to chart the path forward. Our role is not to act in your place, but to stand by your side.”
