UN reports nearly 200,000 forced returns to Haiti amid rising gang violence

During a special meeting of the Security Council, the acting assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs disclosed that forced returns to Haiti have climbed to almost 200,000 in the first eight months of the year, exceeding the previous year's total by roughly 20,000. The UN Integrated Office in Haiti's chief highlighted that a brutal gang attack in the hillside community of Kenscoff near Port-au-Prince resulted in 47 deaths, among them three boys and two girls, as homes were set ablaze and fleeing civilians were shot inside a church.

He warned that without improved security, the country's efforts to prepare for its first national elections in ten years remain severely constrained and vulnerable to setbacks. The incident underscores the urgent need to scale up the UN-mandated multinational force tasked with assisting Haitian police against increasingly powerful gangs. Diplomats expressed frustration over limited international action to prevent further massacres. The UN called for rapid reinforcement of security assistance to stabilize the situation.