At least 1,167 people were killed and 459 injured in Haiti between July and September 2026, according to a UN report covered by UN News on 12 November. The report documents the scale of gang violence, as well as human rights violations involving police. Its figures cover cases documented by the UN and should not be treated as a complete toll.
The report describes serious human rights violations in the metropolitan area of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and in the departments of Artibonite and Sud-Est. According to the UN, more than half of the documented deaths and injuries occurred during ground or air operations by security forces against gangs. Some of these operations were supported by a private military company using drones. A death or injury during an operation does not, in itself, establish that a particular action was unlawful.
The overall death toll therefore cannot be attributed entirely to gangs. The report also describes retaliatory killings, extortion and attacks carried out by gangs seeking control of territory. Two attacks in Kenscoff in July and August killed at least 105 people, including 19 children, according to the UN.
Rise in kidnappings and extrajudicial executions
The UN documented 44 cases of extrajudicial execution or attempted extrajudicial execution involving Haitian police officers, compared with 14 in the previous quarter. Kidnappings for ransom also increased: at least 137 people were abducted between July and September, compared with 81 between April and June.
The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti, known as BINUH, also documented 344 victims of sexual violence committed by gang members. The report says gangs continued to recruit and exploit children.
Call to protect residents and accelerate deployment
The report calls on Haiti’s authorities to strengthen protection and assistance for people affected by violence. It also urges the international community to accelerate the full deployment of forces tasked with tackling gangs, while respecting international human rights standards.
According to UN News, the UN Security Council has authorised these forces, but they have not yet been fully deployed. The appeal is therefore for deployment to be accelerated, rather than a description of an operation whose deployment is already complete.
