A devastating new United Nations report has laid bare the full scale of human suffering unfolding across Haiti in the second quarter of 2026, documenting more than 1,400 deaths and hundreds of injuries linked to widespread violence perpetrated by armed gangs, vigilante groups, civilian unrest, security force operations, and activity by a private military contractor.
Released by the Human Rights Service of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), the report covers the 13-week period from April 1 to June 30, 2026, and reveals that men made up 85% of all fatal and injured victims, while women accounted for 11% and children 4% of the total toll.
The data also exposes a ongoing crisis of gender-based violence carried out by armed gangs, with at least 796 confirmed rape victims recorded across the quarter. Of these victims, 772 were adult women, 23 were underage girls, and one was a man. A staggering 87% of all recorded cases were gang rapes, and 98% of all sexual violence incidents were concentrated in Haiti’s West Department.
Beyond the capital Port-au-Prince, armed gangs have continued to expand their territorial control, with violence escalating sharply in the agricultural heartland of Artibonite and new incursions launched into the previously more stable Southeast Department. In Artibonite, one of Haiti’s key farming regions, armed groups have targeted rural communities, executing residents inside their homes and killing farmers as they worked in agricultural fields. To the south, the notorious Village de Dieu gang launched multiple violent raids around the town of Séguin, an area that had largely avoided this type of large-scale gang violence prior to the second quarter.
Alongside killings and sexual violence, gangs have maintained a thriving kidnapping-for-ransom trade across the country. The report records at least 81 abductions for ransom between April and June, with 63% of these cases taking place in the West Department and 27% occurring in Artibonite.
The report also documents the growing threat of explosive drone attacks targeting civilian populations, with at least nine civilians – including six children – killed or injured by unmanned explosive devices during the quarter. Three police officers were also killed in violence, with two additional officers sustaining serious injuries.
Some of the worst bloodshed of the quarter unfolded in two densely populated areas of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince: the sprawling Cul-de-Sac Plain and the working-class neighborhood of Cité Soleil. Rival gangs clashed there in intense, prolonged battles for control of strategic territory and lucrative illicit revenue streams. The fighting left 463 people dead, hundreds more wounded, and hundreds of others subjected to sexual violence. More than 18,000 residents were forced to flee their homes to escape the violence, and all local health and education services were suspended indefinitely as a result of the unrest.
The full 30-page report in English is available for public download via HaitiLibre at the published link.