Urban violence intensifying in Haiti

Increasingly regular and brutal violence is being carried out by non-government groups in Haiti. Murder, kidnappings, torture and sexual assault are being committed by gangs and armed groups in Port Au Prince who control around 60% of the capital. Children's safety is a major concern, and UNICEF reports that strikes on schools has increased ninefold over the course of 2022 with 72 school attacks.

Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, describes the situation in Haiti as a “living nightmare.” International intervention is being called for, but responding to gang violence is far more complex than typical armed conflict. Supporting the nation as an outsider is particularly complicated as the issue coexists with extreme poverty, disease outbreak and human displacement.