UN chief warns Haiti facing ‘perfect storm of suffering’

Haiti is facing a “perfect storm of suffering” driven by relentless armed violence, the collapse of basic services and a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned during a briefing to the UN Security Council.

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Guterres said civilians are “under siege” as gang violence engulfs Port-au-Prince and continues to spread, paralysing daily life and forcing an estimated 1.3 million people to flee their homes. Schools and hospitals have come under repeated attack, sexual violence is widespread, and state authority has eroded, leaving large parts of the country beyond effective government control.

The UN chief said six million Haitians now require humanitarian assistance, placing the country among the world’s most severe hunger hotspots. He warned that aid operations are at risk of grinding to a halt due to chronic underfunding, noting that less than 10 per cent of the $908 million needed for the 2025 humanitarian response has been received. “This is not a funding gap. It is a life-and-death emergency,” he told the Council.

Children are bearing the brunt of the crisis. According to Guterres, Haiti ranked among the top five countries globally for grave violations against children in 2024, with the UN verifying 2,269 violations — nearly five times more than the previous year. Children are being abducted, killed, forcibly recruited by armed groups and subjected to extreme sexual violence, including gang rape.

Despite the dangers, humanitarian workers continue to operate under threat. Aid workers face violence, extortion and kidnapping, yet UN agencies and partners still managed to reach 1.3 million people in the first quarter of this year with food, water, medicine and shelter. Guterres warned, however, that access remains severely constrained, particularly in areas controlled by armed groups.

He also called for stronger international security support to help restore order, protect civilians and create conditions for a return to the rule of law and credible elections. Welcoming efforts to strengthen the Multinational Security Support mission, Guterres urged the Security Council to authorise an international force with UN backing and predictable financing, alongside tougher measures against those fuelling the violence.

Security actions, he stressed, must be paired with political progress and accountability, including an effective arms embargo and targeted sanctions against gang leaders, financiers and arms traffickers. Without urgent and coordinated international action, he warned, Haiti’s humanitarian and security crises will continue to deepen.