While gangs continue to compete for control of specific neighbourhoods and territories, they have increasingly [Technical difficulty—Editor] coalition. This has allowed them to join forces to challenge transitional authorities more directly and respond collectively to heightened security pressure, including the deployment of international security forces such as the multinational security support mission, now replaced by the gang suppression force.
Haitian security forces and international partners stepped up the security response in 2025, including by establishing a special task force that has relied on explosive-laden drones, with assistance from private military company Vectus Global, to target gangs.
Although heightened anti-gang operations have produced some tactical gains, such as the recent recovery of areas in central Port-au-Prince, these gains have remained limited and fragile. The Haitian National Police is overstretched and under-resourced, and the gang suppression force is not yet fully operational. The operations thus far have showed limited success in capturing gang leaders or dismantling their operations and structures, as gangs seem to be adapting by seeking less exposure or even expanding or seeking refuge in other regions.
Civilians are often caught in the crossfire, particularly amid the recent use of drone strikes against gangs. [Technical difficulty—Editor] incidents with drones that killed over 900 people, including civilians and children. These incidents raise serious concerns [Technical difficulty—Editor], especially in densely populated areas, as well as broader questions over the extrajudicial killing of suspected gang members.
At the same time, the civilian population is continuously targeted by gangs through killings, large-scale massacres, sexual violence, kidnappings for ransom, forced recruitment and forced displacement. In the past 12 months alone, ACLED has recorded the killing of around 1,000 people in violence targeting civilians, and nearly five million Haitians, or about 46% of the population, have been exposed to a violent incident.
In addition, gang expansion and territorial control continue to [Technical difficulty—Editor], disrupting Haiti's main logistical arteries and obstructing the transport of essential medicine and food, which exacerbates already severe levels of food insecurity. At the same time, most hospitals in the capital have been forced to close because of gang violence.