Haiti needs urgent help, Monicah Juma tells UN Security Council

The United Nations’ Security Council has been urged to move swiftly and provide necessary resources aimed at stabilising Haiti.

Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Monica Juma, while appearing before the Security Council, said the resources will play a key role not only in protecting Haitian citizens but also in restoring the livelihoods of its population while returning it to a constitutional dispensation.

Juma told the council that Haiti is increasingly facing a governance crisis driven by organised crime, with impacts that extend beyond its borders,

She said in her recent mission, it had been established that illicit firearms continue to enter Haiti from abroad, while drug trafficking and migrant smuggling link criminal networks across the region.

Combating these criminal networks, she said, requires a coordinated response across borders.

In the report that she tabled to the council, Juma said it documents a significant shift in trends where armed gangs are tightening their grip on Haiti’s institutions and economic lifelines, steadily replacing the authority of the State and holding both the government and communities hostage.

“This is no longer only a security crisis; it is increasingly a governance crisis driven by organised crime, with profound humanitarian, political and development consequences,” she said.

Juma said Haiti’s path to peace requires action on several fronts, including meeting urgent needs today such as provision of security, while building the capacity of institutions that can secure tomorrow, such as the criminal justice system, to restore the rule of law and prevent the entrenchment of organised criminal networks.

“This means helping Haitian authorities to reclaim key territory, dismantle the criminal economies fueling the violence, strengthen border management and regional cooperation, and restore trust between citizens and the State,” said Juma.

Juma argued that only by tackling both the symptoms and the root causes of the crisis can the UNSC help Haiti build lasting peace, security and the rule of law.

She said while her office is at the forefront to offer tangible solutions, all Caribbean states and the rest of the international community must come forth to offer political support and the necessary resources to stabilise the country.

So far, Juma said that with UNODC support, two specialised judicial poles have been established to investigate complex financial crimes, corruption, money laundering, arms trafficking and other serious offences, including sexual violence.

These crimes, she said, fuel insecurity and sustain gang violence.

“By targeting both the crimes and the finances behind them, the specialised judicial poles strengthen the justice response today while helping build long-term security and the rule of law,” said Juma.

What started the unrest?

Gang violence has long been a problem in Haiti, but it has worsened dramatically due to shifting power dynamics.

According to Amnesty International, this rise in gang activity has had devastating consequences for the country and its people, severely impacting human rights.  

Amnesty indicates that the situation escalated following the assassination of the late President Jovenel Moise in July 2021, which left Haiti without effective leadership.

As a result, Amnesty says armed gangs estimated at between 10,000 and 15,000 capitalised on the power vacuum, using violence to expand their control over communities.

“An unchecked flow of illegal weapons and ammunition from other countries and weak law enforcement allow gangs to operate freely as they compete for control of territory,” Amnesty states.  

By early 2024, gang activity had brought the capital to complete paralysis.

Attacks on police stations, hospitals, neighbourhoods and essential infrastructure like ports and roads interrupted daily life, leaving millions in chaos and fear.

In the last three months alone, reports indicate over 1,600 civilians have been killed, with over 1.5 million others fleeing from their homes.