标签： Haiti

As Haiti prepares to hold its long-awaited presidential and legislative elections later this year, a top regional official has sounded an urgent alarm over hidden ties between the country’s political actors and violent criminal gangs that could undermine the entire democratic process.

During a public press briefing this Thursday, Organization of American States Secretary General Albert Ramdin pulled back the curtain on an open secret in the country: “There is a certain collusion between the political world and the gangs. I am saying this clearly because everyone knows it, but no one is talking about it.”

Ramdin, who completed an official visit to Haiti in August to assess pre-election conditions, told reporters he had already raised the issue directly with Haitian national authorities. During those discussions, he pushed for the implementation of strict, transparent eligibility rules that would bar candidates tied to armed criminal organizations from appearing on election ballots. To date, however, he said the government has not provided any clear, actionable response to his proposal.

Ramdin added that a full accounting of the damage caused by these political-criminal links will not be possible until all participating candidates are vetted and their connections properly documented. Without robust guardrails in place, the credibility of the final election results will almost certainly be called into question, he warned.

For the OAS, resolving Haiti’s years-long political and humanitarian crisis is a top institutional priority. In his briefing, Ramdin pinpointed widespread, gang-fueled insecurity as the single biggest barrier to holding free, fair, and accessible elections. He also raised sharp questions about the performance of the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF), the multinational security mission deployed to stabilize the country, noting that some nations that had previously pledged support to the mission have failed to follow through on their commitments.

“Holding elections depends on a favorable security climate,” Ramdin insisted, referencing the unrelenting wave of violence that has ravaged Haitian communities for the better part of a decade. Current official electoral timelines schedule the first round of presidential and legislative voting for December 13, 2026, with a second round set to follow on February 21, 2027.

The scale of the country’s security crisis underscores the gravity of Ramdin’s warning. Latest data from the United Nations shows that gang-related violence killed at least 3,050 people and injured another 1,401 across Haiti in just the first six months of 2026, a death toll that highlights how far security forces are from reasserting control over much of the country.

Against the backdrop of ongoing crisis and fragility in Haiti, the country’s top diplomat has made a urgent call for collective action from African nations and the wider international community to back Haiti’s core national priorities. Speaking at a UN-hosted ministerial gathering in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Tuesday, September 9, 2026, Haitian Foreign Minister Raina Forbin used the mid-term review conference for the Doha Development Agenda for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) as a platform to amplify Haiti’s specific needs and deepen its strategic partnership with the African continent.

The high-level meeting, organized by the United Nations Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, was designed to assess progress on development commitments for the world’s most vulnerable nations, creating an ideal opportunity for Haiti to bring its urgent challenges to the forefront of global discussion among LDC stakeholders.

In her keynote address to the assembled delegates, Forbin underlined that lasting security and institutional stability are non-negotiable prerequisites for Haiti to meet the development goals laid out in the Doha Development Agenda. Without foundational progress on security, she argued, no meaningful long-term development or democratic advancement can take root in the country.

Against that framework, the foreign minister issued a clear call for African states and the entire international community to step up coordinated action aligned with Haiti’s national priorities: resolving the acute security crisis, holding inclusive democratic elections, and kickstarting broad-based economic recovery. She highlighted that solidarity from African nations has already made an tangible difference, specifically commending Chad, Sierra Leone, and Côte d’Ivoire for their existing commitments to support Haiti through the multinational Gang Suppression Force (GSF).

Forbin pressed for two key next steps to move the security mission forward: a renewal of the GSF’s mandate, and the rapid, full deployment of all planned personnel and assets to the country. Beyond deployment, she emphasized that the force urgently needs sustained international commitments of the financial, logistical, and operational resources required to carry out its counter-gang stabilization mission effectively.

Looking beyond the immediate security emergency, Forbin also called for a reimagining of global financing mechanisms for crisis-affected fragile states. She argued that current financing frameworks often fail to meet Haiti’s unique context, and new instruments are needed that can simultaneously support short-term stabilization, bridge the gap between humanitarian response and long-term economic growth, and drive sustained development outcomes.

Forbin framed the Addis Ababa meeting as a critical milestone in strengthening the decades-long strategic alliance between Haiti and the African continent, and in advancing Haiti’s interests within the global LDC community. She noted that Haiti and Africa share deep historical ties, and that this shared legacy should now be leveraged as a foundation for mutual solidarity, regional and cross-continental stability, and inclusive development for all.

At the opening of a new session of the UN Human Rights Council held in Geneva on September 7, 2026, Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, delivered a landmark appeal targeting critical gaps in U.S. immigration policy. His statement centered on two urgent demands: a full, transparent independent investigation into the 23 migrant deaths recorded in U.S. immigration detention facilities since the start of the year, and an immediate moratorium on all deportations of migrants to crisis-stricken Haiti, over fears of irreversible harm to returnees.

Türk made a direct, formal appeal to the U.S. federal government, stressing that every fatality inside the national immigration system requires a complete, unobscured probe, and that those responsible for any negligence or abuse must face accountability. “The families of these deceased migrants have an inalienable right to the full truth about what happened to their loved ones, and they deserve clear, unambiguous answers from U.S. authorities,” he emphasized to the assembled council.

The call follows a recent UN tally confirming 23 migrant deaths in U.S. detention in 2026 to date. Türk made clear that the UN’s demand goes far beyond the limited internal probes typically conducted by U.S. agencies, requiring full public transparency into both the inhumane conditions that many detainees face and the specific administrative decisions that contributed to each death. “There must be accountability for these deaths, no exceptions,” Türk stated firmly from the Geneva assembly floor.

Beyond the investigation into detention fatalities, the High Commissioner called for an immediate halt to all deportations to any nation where returnees face a documented risk of severe harm, naming Haiti as an urgent and explicit example. He underlined that any deportation to a third country must undergo strict, full due process assessments, and must be called off if even a credible risk of irreversible harm exists. “I urge the United States to stop returning people to places where they could suffer irreparable harm, including Haiti, and to ensure that due process is followed for all deportations to third countries,” he reiterated.

Türk’s intervention comes amid growing international and domestic scrutiny of U.S. immigration policy, particularly around the treatment of asylum seekers and other people seeking international protection. The UN has repeatedly reminded the U.S. that deportation processes cannot put any individual at heightened risk of violence, poverty, or death.

In addition to these core demands, Türk also raised sharp questions about a recently proposed plan to arm U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents with electric shock gloves. He warned that the adoption of such dangerous, forceful tools would inevitably lead to an increase in violence and human rights abuses during immigration enforcement operations.

Türk’s full statement acts as a formal reminder that all nation states are bound by international human rights obligations to prevent abuse against migrants in detention and during enforcement. The intervention has significantly ramped up international pressure on the Biden administration to address longstanding concerns over detention conditions, deportation procedures, and excessive use of force by immigration authorities.

Haiti’s national security crisis has claimed another life of a public servant, after a 2025 graduate of the Haitian National Police (PNH) was fatally shot in a targeted ambush by heavily armed gang members earlier this week.

Officer Saint Jour Queturah, a first-class officer assigned to the Departmental Order and Intervention Brigade (BOID), was killed on Sunday, September 6, 2026, while her unit was conducting routine patrol operations through the Bercy region, a contested corridor between the coastal towns of Cabaret and Arcahaie. The area has been labeled a high-tension hotspot in recent months, as the Canaan criminal gang coalition repeatedly launches incursions into the territory in a bid to expand their territorial control, which has already displaced thousands of local residents.

According to PNH official statements, unidentified heavily armed assailants opened deliberate fire on the police unit as it traveled along the strategic road, striking Saint Jour in the head. Fellow officers immediately rushed the wounded 34th Training Class graduate to the nearest medical facility, Saintard Reformed Hospital, but medical teams were unable to save her life.

In a formal statement released following the incident, PNH leadership mourned the loss of the young officer, who had only served the Haitian people for a little more than 18 months since graduating from the police academy in January 2025. The department described Saint Jour’s death as a devastating blow not only to her biological family and close friends, but also to her BOID teammates, fellow graduates of the 34th Class, and the entire PNH community.

The statement honored Saint Jour’s courage, commitment to public service, and ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. “The PNH pays its deepest respects to the memory of Officer 1st Class Saint Jour Queturah,” the release read. “In this moment of profound grief, we extend our sincerest condolences to her family, loved ones, and all colleagues who served alongside her. We pledge to stand with her family through this unimaginable loss, and to provide ongoing support as they navigate this difficult time.” The department closed its statement by affirming that Saint Jour’s sacrifice would never be forgotten, ending with a message of rest for the fallen officer: “Rest in Peace, Officer 1st Class Saint Jour Queturah.”

The killing comes amid a years-long surge in gang-related violence and insecurity across Haiti, which has seen heavily armed criminal groups seize control of large swathes of territory outside the capital Port-au-Prince, targeting security personnel and civilians in a bid to consolidate power. As of 2026, the United Nations estimates that more than 2,000 people have been killed in gang-related violence in Haiti since the start of the year, with hundreds of police officers among the casualties.