“The Haitian people cannot be forgotten,” Türk told the 58th session of the Human Rights Council, noting that when he last visited the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country, he heard communities calling out for help, exhausted and frightened from years of violence, insecurity and unbearable precarity.

   Türk said that in the two years since then, the situation has dramatically worsened, telling the Council “their plea must be heard.

   “Gangs are spreading into what were once gang-free areas in Port au Prince and its outskirts and are capturing key territory and infrastructure. Gangs have united to launch coordinated attacks, armed with powerful weapons and in some cases outnumbering and outpowering national security forces.

   “Gangs are killing ordinary people, brutally punishing those who defy their rules, or are suspected of collaborating with the police or self-defense groups,” he said, pausing for a minute “because I am not sure the usual description of gang violence captures the amount of unbearable suffering that has been inflicted on the Haitian people”.

   He told the Council members that the report before them details how the use of trafficked firearms and different forms of ammunition are fueling a destructive cycle of violence, leading to severe human rights violations and abuses.

   Türk said that reports estimate that between 270,000 and 500,000 firearms are circulating illegally in Haiti, with most weapons in the hands of gangs. He said that these weapons, which are increasingly sophisticated, are not manufactured in Haiti, but consistently flow in from elsewhere.

   The UN human rights official said that the full implementation of the UN Security Council’s arms embargo, as well as its targeted asset freeze and travel ban, “is absolutely critical,” noting that between July 1, 2024 and February 28 this year, 4,239 people were killed and 1,356 injured.

   “Our Office estimates that 92 per cent of the casualties resulted from the use of firearms. Several mass killings were documented. For example, during five days in early December, at least 207 people were killed by gangs controlling the Wharf Jérémie neighbourhood of Cité Soleil.”

   Türk said that the Viv Ansanm gang coalition and others have destroyed public institutions, including schools, orphanages, healthcare centres and courts, attacked media outlets and humanitarian actors, and ransacked businesses.

   “The ubiquitous presence of guns is central to their use of violence,” he said, adding that sexual violence, including collective rape and sexual exploitation, is increasingly used by gangs as a tool to coerce communities and assert their dominance.

   “Under the threat of arms, many victims were attacked in their homes, while others were abducted, raped in public spaces, or seized while traveling on public transport. Several victims were shot dead after being raped. Services for survivors remain extremely scarce.”

   Türk said that his office has also documented the forced recruitment, exploitation and trafficking of children by gangs and that it has documented more than 700 kidnappings. “All were carried out by people with guns. Those who attempted to resist abduction were often shot dead.”

   Türk told the Council that gangs are implementing their own form of governance in the areas under their control and despite significant efforts by the Haitian National Police, gang attacks are challenging the state’s control over remaining territory and its ability to regain territories from the gangs.

   He said during the reporting period, more than 2000 people were killed or injured in law enforcement operations against gangs, a 60 per cent increase compared to the previous six-month period. Türk said almost one third of those killed were hit when they were not involved in acts of violence, often struck by stray bullets while in the streets or at home.

   “My Office has documented at least 219 cases of summary executions by specialized police units during the reporting period, a substantial increase from 33 in 2023.”

   He said more than one million people have been displaced in Haiti, many multiple times, 40,000 of whom have been forced to move in the past few weeks alone.

   “One in every two Haitians – 5.5 million people – face acute food insecurity. Two million people face emergency levels of hunger. Nearly 6,000 displaced people are living in famine-like conditions.

    “Amidst all of this, the political transition, which held so much hope is hanging by a thread,” he said, reiterating that the most crucial first step here is to stop the illicit flow of arms into the country.

   “And without sustained action on the factors that are perpetuating this chaos, any gains in security or stability will be temporary,” Türk warned.

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