Civil War Escalates, 78 Dead - UN Intervenes
Civil War Escalates, 78 Dead - UN Intervenes
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Armed clashes between rival gangs in the outskirts of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, have killed at least 78 people since Saturday (09/05/2026), according to data released by the UN Office in Haiti (BINUH). This comes as the country continues to grapple with armed criminal groups.
The grim situation was officially reported by UN authorities regarding the escalation of violence in the communes of Cite Soleil and Croix-des-Bouquets. Of that number, 10 were civilians.
“Armed clashes between several gangs in the communes of Cite Soleil and Croix-des-Bouquets have resulted in at least 78 deaths and 66 injuries since May 9,” BINUH said, citing a report from AFP.
Haiti, the poorest country in the Caribbean, is currently plagued by systematic gang violence. The situation in the country has reportedly deteriorated significantly over the past two years.
The wave of violence since the weekend has forced about 5,300 people to be displaced. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that many families are still trapped in conflict zones.
The disruption of health services is a real impact of this war, with a hospital and a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) facility forced to cease operations. Before evacuating all staff, medical personnel reported a very critical situation on the ground.
“Doctors Without Borders reported that 40 gunshot victims were treated at the hospital in less than 12 hours,” the report said.
Data from BINUH shows that the areas of Cite Soleil and Croix-des-Bouquets have indeed been hotspots of conflict in recent months. Between March 5 and May 11, the total number of victims in the two areas reached a very worrying figure.
“BINUH said on Thursday that between March 5 and May 11, at least 305 people were killed and 277 injured in Cite Soleil and Croix-des-Bouquets,” the statement said.
Of these hundreds of victims, the majority are members of the warring gangs, but civilians, including women and children, remain the most affected.
To address this crisis, a new multinational anti-gang force has begun to be deployed to assist the under-resourced local police. To date, the first contingent of 400 troops from Chad has arrived in Port-au-Prince. The leadership of this international force is also being strengthened with the arrival of senior military officers from Mongolia.
(tps/tps)