UN says kidnappings in Haiti's capital rose in third quarter
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Vendors sell goods in a market after the government said earlier this month it was reviewing the schedule for the country’s first election in a decade, amid gang violence, increased kidnappings for ransom and gangs’ continued control over much of the capital and surrounding areas despite missions to counter them, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, October 23, 2026, REUTERS/Patrice Noel
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Nov 11 - Kidnappings in Haiti's capital Port-Au-Prince increased between July and September compared to the previous quarter, with children representing 10% of the victims, the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) said on Wednesday in its quarterly report on the human rights situation in the island published.
• Gangs and security forces were almost solely responsible for killing 1,167 people and injuring 459 during the quarter in the whole country, with self-defence groups and non-organised members of the population responsible for 5% of the total, the office said
• The office documented at least 344 victims of sexual violence perpetrated by gangs in the quarter
• It also noted an increase in the number of extrajudicial executions and attempted extrajudicial executions committed by police officers, with 44 documented cases, tripling from the 14 recorded in the previous quarter
• In its report, the office recommended the Haitian government to launch an investigation into mass crimes, sexual violence, and financial crimes and ensure that operations against gangs are conducted "in full compliance with international human rights law"
• The report comes amid an intensified security campaign involving Haitian authorities and newly deployed Salvadoran troops, as the government pushes to restore stability ahead of newly delayed elections. REUTERS