Haiti Police Accused of “Summary Executions” Amid Rising Gang Violence

Gangs are tightening their grip in Haiti amid recent reports that police are carrying out “summary executions.”

A report from the UN Human Rights Office reveals more than 5,500 people were killed between March 2025 and January 2026, as violence spreads beyond Port-au-Prince and forces 1.4 million people from their homes.

Gangs have pushed into surrounding regions, tightening control over key road and maritime routes that finance their operations. The report says civilians face killings, kidnappings, child trafficking, and extortion, with some victims executed and burnt.

Those accused of defiance face brutal reprisals. Some are “subjected to gang-organised ‘trials’, arbitrarily held captive, and at times forced to pay fines to secure their release,” the report added.

It also revealed that the violence is no longer one-sided. Investigators documented nearly 250 cases of “actual or attempted summary executions” by Haitian police, using “unnecessary or disproportionate” force.

Separate operations involving a private military company using drones and helicopter gunfire may amount to “targeted killings”, with no known legal scrutiny.

Meanwhile, violence by self-defence groups has further escalated the crisis, with lynchings of suspected gang members, sometimes allegedly backed by police, the report says.

The UN warns that without accountability and stronger institutions, efforts to restore stability in Haiti will remain fragile.

“The Gang Suppression Force can only be effective in the long term if there are also stronger efforts to identify, detain, investigate, and prosecute, in accordance with international standards, those who fund, organise, and support the gangs’ activities,” said UN rights chief Volker Türk.