OP-ED: Haiti’s Humanitarian Crisis Demands Action

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – A child should not have to fear the journey to school. A mother should not have to choose between seeking medical care and risking her safety. And no family should be forced to abandon its home because armed men have taken control of its community.

Yet for millions of Haitians, insecurity has become a daily reality. Families are displaced, children lose access to education, women and girls face sexual violence, and businesses struggle to survive amid extortion and fear. What should be ordinary activities have become dangerous calculations about whether it is safe to leave home.

Haiti is facing more than a security crisis. It is confronting a humanitarian catastrophe and a collapse of public confidence. Until the state can protect its citizens, restore justice and deliver essential services, rebuilding the country will remain an incomplete promise.

The figures are devastating. United Nations reporting documented at least 1,408 people killed and 656 injured by violence during the second quarter of 2026. Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration estimated that approximately 1.5 million people were internally displaced in August.

Behind those numbers are families who have lost homes, livelihoods, education and the security of familiar surroundings. Displacement is not simply moving from one place to another. It means rebuilding a life while facing uncertainty about whether returning home will ever be safe.

Haiti cannot measure recovery by security announcements alone. Its success must be judged by whether people can live, work, study and seek medical care without fear.

Security operations must deliver lasting results

The Haitian National Police and international security partners face the formidable task of confronting armed groups that control territory, exploit transport routes and sustain criminal operations through weapons, extortion and kidnapping.

A September 2026 United Nations Panel of Experts report recorded gains from security operations in parts of Port-au-Prince, but warned that these remained fragile. Important roads continued to face gang control, while violence spread into other departments.

Clearing a neighbourhood is an achievement. Keeping its residents safe is the real test.

People must be able to return without fearing renewed attacks. Businesses must operate without extortion, children must attend school consistently, and humanitarian organisations must reach vulnerable communities. Without sustained protection and functioning public institutions, armed groups can return and previous gains can quickly disappear.

Haiti therefore needs a coordinated strategy combining effective policing, intelligence, functioning courts, community protection and the restoration of essential services. International support must strengthen Haitian institutions rather than become a permanent substitute for them.

Those who sustain criminal violence must face scrutiny

The men carrying guns are only part of the problem. Armed groups also depend on weapons, ammunition, money and networks that enable them to continue operating.

The UN Panel of Experts has documented violations of the arms embargo and reported links between certain political, economic and security actors and criminal groups. These findings demand serious investigation, not political speculation.

Who supplies the weapons? Who finances criminal operations? Who profits from extortion and the disruption of transport? And who enables armed groups to evade law enforcement?

Such questions must be answered through credible evidence and due process. Allegations must not be treated as proof of guilt, but neither should influence or political connections shield anyone from investigation.

Removing individual gang leaders will not resolve the crisis if the networks sustaining their operations remain intact. Haitian authorities and international partners must strengthen cooperation against arms trafficking, investigate illicit financial flows and pursue lawful measures against those who knowingly facilitate criminal violence.

Accountability must reach every level supported by the evidence.

Women and children cannot be abandoned

Sexual violence is among the most disturbing dimensions of Haiti’s crisis. Women and girls who survive attacks may face physical injuries, psychological trauma, stigma and fear of retaliation. Some hesitate to report abuse because they cannot be certain that seeking help will be safe.

Condemnation is not enough. Survivors need confidential medical treatment, psychological support, safe accommodation and legal assistance. These services must be accessible without requiring dangerous journeys or exposing survivors to further harm.

The United Nations Population Fund reported that, as of August 2026, it had received only US$4 million of the US$32.8 million required for its Haiti response. Such a shortfall threatens essential reproductive health and protection services.

The international community cannot declare the protection of women and girls a priority while failing to provide adequate resources to those delivering assistance.

Children face another danger: recruitment and exploitation by armed groups. Coercion, threats and promises of money or protection can draw vulnerable children into criminal activity, particularly when education and family livelihoods have been disrupted.

Children who have been exploited need protection, rehabilitation and opportunities to return to education. Those responsible for recruiting and abusing them must face appropriate legal consequences. Protecting children and holding perpetrators accountable are complementary responsibilities.

Every child lost to armed violence represents a failure of protection and a threat to Haiti’s future.

Security must not come at the expense of civilians

The Haitian state has the primary responsibility for protecting its population. International partners can provide personnel, equipment and logistical assistance, but lasting security depends on public institutions that people can trust.

The United Nations Security Council extended the Gang Suppression Force’s mandate through March 31, 2027. That extension provides an opportunity to strengthen operations, but a renewed mandate does not automatically produce lasting security.

Security forces must protect civilians, comply with applicable law and investigate credible allegations of misconduct. Armed groups must likewise be held accountable for attacks on civilians and other serious crimes.

The rule of law cannot be restored if people believe that violence is permitted whenever the perpetrator possesses sufficient power. Victims need safe ways to report crimes, investigators need the ability to gather evidence, and courts must operate fairly regardless of an accused person’s influence.

A state demonstrates its strength not merely through its capacity to use force, but through its ability to protect people and administer justice.

Elections must restore public confidence

Haiti’s political future is inseparable from its security crisis. Elections are essential to establishing legitimate government, but a vote cannot fulfil that purpose if people are too frightened to participate freely.

Voters must be able to register, attend political meetings and cast their ballots without intimidation. Candidates must face transparent rules, and credible allegations of criminal interference must be investigated fairly.

Concerns raised by the UN Panel of Experts about armed groups and their alleged connections with political and economic actors make transparency particularly important.

Elections alone will not dismantle criminal networks or restore public services. However, a credible political process can provide a foundation for accountable government and renewed public confidence.

Haitians must have a meaningful voice in determining their future. Political power must derive from a legitimate democratic process, not from the possession of weapons or control over territory.

Recovery must be measured in people’s lives

Haiti needs a recovery strategy that connects security with humanitarian assistance, justice, education and economic opportunity.

Displaced families need safe accommodation and a realistic path to return home voluntarily when conditions permit. Schools and medical facilities must function safely. Survivors need sustained support, and vulnerable children need alternatives to recruitment by armed groups.

Economic recovery is equally important. People cannot rebuild their livelihoods when roads are unsafe, businesses face extortion and access to essential services remains unreliable.

The government and its international partners should publish measurable indicators of progress, including civilian casualties, access to education and healthcare, the safe return of displaced families, investigations of serious crimes and disruption of the financial and weapons networks sustaining armed groups.

These measures would help determine whether interventions are improving daily life rather than merely changing the appearance of the security situation.

Haitian leadership, capable institutions, regional cooperation and sustained international assistance are all necessary. But the people affected by the crisis must remain at the centre of every decision.

Haiti deserves more than promises

There is a danger that the world will become accustomed to Haiti’s suffering. Another report is published, another meeting is held and another statement condemns the violence, while families continue to flee and children remain exposed to exploitation.

Haitians deserve more than recurring expressions of concern. They deserve safer communities, functioning schools, accessible healthcare, accountable institutions and the opportunity to rebuild their lives without fear.

The responsibility rests first with Haiti’s authorities, but international partners must match their commitments with adequate resources and sustained action. Those who finance, arm or enable criminal violence must face credible investigation and lawful accountability.

Ultimately, Haiti’s recovery must be measured in human terms: a mother able to send her child to school safely, a survivor able to seek help without fear, a business owner able to earn a living without extortion, and a displaced family able to return home without facing another forced departure.

Haiti cannot rebuild its future while its people are struggling simply to survive the present.

Restoring territory is important, but restoring public trust, protecting human dignity and making everyday life safe must be the ultimate objectives.

The measure of success will not be the number of operations announced or promises made. It will be whether Haitians can once again live with security, dignity and hope.

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