Guterres visits Haiti amid desperate humanitarian crisis: 'Don't look away,' he urges world

Visit and call to action

UN Secretary-General António Guterres landed in Haiti on Tuesday for a one-day solidarity visit, his first since July 2023. He met with victims of gang violence and visited the headquarters of a new multinational gang-suppression force. In a post on X, he wrote that the humanitarian situation is "desperate" but he sees "faint glimmers of hope."

“My message to the international community: stop looking the other way, we must support Haiti.”

Scale of violence

New UN figures show at least 2,310 people were killed and 1,106 injured in the first five months of 2026. Security operations caused roughly 65% of the deaths, while gangs were responsible for about 25%. Gangs carried out at least 99 kidnappings, and 699 people, mostly women and girls, were victims of sexual violence. One recent abduction was James Boyard, cabinet director of the Defense Ministry, seized last week in a formerly safe district.

Displacement crisis

Some 1.5 million Haitians are displaced, more than one in ten of the population. In May alone, over 18,000 fled renewed violence in the Cité Soleil slum, pushing the number of internally displaced people in Port-au-Prince past 300,000 for the first time. Last weekend more than 30 people were killed, injured or missing there.

“Haiti's displacement crisis is entering an even more alarming phase.”

Killed2,310

Injured1,106

Kidnapped99

Sexual violence699

Killed

2310 people

Injured

1106 people

Kidnapped

99 people

Sexual violence

699 people

Data from the article text

International response

A new UN-backed gang-suppression force, approved by the Security Council in September, is replacing an earlier Kenyan-led mission. Jamaica, Chad, El Salvador and Guatemala have deployed fewer than 1,000 troops so far; the force can eventually field up to 5,500 personnel and is due to begin operations in the coming weeks. Guterres also observed recruitment for Haiti's national police and army. The UN's $880 million humanitarian appeal for 2026 is less than a quarter funded as hurricane season begins.

Criticism of UN role

Not everyone welcomes the visit. Sociologist Jean Saint Paul noted that many Haitians see the UN as "persona non grata," arguing the organization contributed to weakening state institutions. The country remains the poorest in Latin America and the Caribbean, with 5.8 million people facing severe food insecurity and police numbers at just 1.3 officers per 1,000 residents, below the international standard.

“This visit is quite important because it marks a milestone. It's the second time António Guterres has visited Haiti. He already came in 2023, but this time he is going to meet the victims.”