At least 3,661 dead this year in violence in Haiti: UN

More than 3,600 people have been killed this year in “senseless” gang violence ravaging Haiti, the United Nations said Friday.

The Western Hemisphere’s poorest country has plunged into virtual anarchy, with gangs taking over the capital Port-au-Prince and security and healthcare systems collapsing.

About 600,000 people were displaced in the first six months of 2024 and 1,280 were injured in gang violence, including 295 women and 63 children, the UN rights office (OHCHR) said in a report.

During that period, at least 893 individuals, including 25 children, were kidnapped and held for ransom by criminal groups, vying for power in a vacuum created by political crisis and weak state authority.

“The latest figures from the UN Human Rights Office show that at least 3,661 people have been killed since January this year, maintaining the high levels of violence seen in 2023,” the human rights office said.