2680 killed in Haiti due to violence since the beginning of 2025 (UN)

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights announced Friday that at least 2,680 people were killed in Haiti during the first five months of the year, expressing concern about the spread of gang violence. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and rival armed gangs control large swathes of the country, where they carry out murder, rape, and kidnapping. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said the crisis has deteriorated to a new level as the gangs' influence expands beyond the capital, Port-au-Prince, to the central regions. The commission confirmed that at least 2,680 people were killed from January 1 to May 30, including 54 children. These figures are based on information obtained by It has not been verified, but said the actual number could be much higher. At least 957 others were injured, and 316 others were kidnapped for ransom, she added. Sexual violence by gangs and the recruitment of children by them also continued to escalate. “While these numbers are alarming, they do not express the horrors that Haitians are forced to endure on a daily basis,” Türk added in a statement. “I am appalled by the growing expansion of gang attacks and other human rights violations outside the capital, and I am deeply concerned about their destabilizing impact on other countries in the region.” He noted that as law enforcement struggles to restore security, gangs and self-defense groups have taken matters into their own hands, leading to further human rights violations. The UN official noted deadly clashes between gangs and self-defense groups, including one in which at least 25 people were killed with machetes. Gangs control 85 percent of Port-au-Prince, according to the UN, and have stepped up attacks on areas not yet under their control. Meanwhile, the UN migration agency announced Wednesday that a record number of nearly 1.3 million people have been forced from their homes in Haiti due to violence. Turk said the coming months will test the international community's ability to take stronger action to stabilize Haiti and the wider region.