Nation of Haiti issues emergency decree due to escalating incidents of gang-related violence
Haiti Declares Three-Month State of Emergency Amid Escalating Crisis
Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has declared a three-month state of emergency in the central regions of Ouest, including Port-au-Prince, Artibonite, and Centre, in an attempt to combat gang criminality and restore security and peace.
The crisis in Haiti has been escalating for some time, with gang violence intensifying significantly. According to United Nations human rights reports, over 1,000 people have been killed, more than 200 injured, and 620 kidnapped in these regions from October 2024 to June 2025. Armed gangs have also crippled agricultural production, particularly in Artibonite, Haiti’s main rice-growing area, by killing farmers, forcing evacuations, and destroying crops.
As a result, more than 239,000 people have been displaced internally in these regions due to gang violence, with reports of mass escapes even involving people swimming across rivers to flee. Despite some weakening of gangs in parts of Port-au-Prince, gangs still control nearly 90% of the capital and have expanded their violence beyond the capital to other regions.
The crisis continues under the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT), with Laurent Saint-Cyr recently assuming the rotating presidency and declaring ‘war’ on armed gangs. The government appointed Andre Jonas Vladimir Paraison as the new head of the Haitian National Police (PNH), with a mandate to intensify police operations nationwide and restore security.
However, no election date has been set yet, with elections still expected by February 2026 at the earliest, adding to political uncertainty. The government’s state of emergency aims to mobilize state and institutional resources to address both insecurity and the deteriorating economic conditions, particularly in food production and rural communities.
A UN-backed multinational police mission, led by Kenyan officers, is operating to support Haitian police efforts; however, these international interventions have so far failed to stabilize the overall security situation. The appointment of a new rotating president and chief of the National Police is part of the measures to combat gang criminality and restore security and peace in Haiti.
References: 1. BBC News 2. Reuters 3. Al Jazeera 4. New York Times 5. Human Rights Watch
Citizens in Haiti, facing a critical three-month state of emergency, are grappling with the escalation of gang violence, political uncertainty, and economic hardship. Thus, it's crucial for the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT), under the leadership of Laurent Saint-Cyr, to carefully choose their strategies in selecting policies concerning general-news items like politics, crime, and justice, as well as key figures like the new head of the Haitian National Police, in an effort to curb gang criminality, restore peace, and mitigate the overall crisis.
Considering the failure of international interventions so far, Haitians must also decide on supporting these external sources, or advocating for alternative measures to aid in the stabilization of their country's security situation.
