IACHR urges the State of Haiti to take measures to prevent massacres, forced displacement and impunity

January 24, 2025

Washington, DC—The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) expresses its alarm at the continuing deterioration of citizen security and the increase in violence by armed gangs in Haiti throughout the year 2024 which is occurring in an atmosphere of impunity.

Gang violence escalated throughout the year, affecting almost the entire Haitian territory: from the capital Port-au-Prince, to different departments of the country such as Ganthier, Cabaret, Arcahaie, Carrefour, Gressier, Petit-Goâve and Léogâne, according to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The control of more than 85% of the capital's metropolitan area by armed gangs and the massacres of the last quarter of 2024, such as the one perpetrated in Pont Sondé in October with 70 victims or the one in the Wharf Jérémie neighborhood in December that claimed the lives of more than 200 people, indicate the complete breakdown of the security situation in the country. This violence left at least 5,600 people dead that year, and 1,000 more than in 2023, according to figures published by the United Nations.

By October 2024, more than 700,000 people were displaced in Haiti and during the first 17 days of December alone, armed attacks in the communes of Port-au-Prince and Petite rivière de l'Artibonite caused the displacement of a further 21,000 people. According to the information received, the displaced individuals and families are living in precarious living conditions in camps, without basic amenities, in terror and facing a lack of security. This especially affects women and girls, according to UN Women.

Civil society organizations denounce these violations and the absence of rule of law, no access to justice and impunity. The efforts of the National Police (PNH) and the armed forces to control the armed gangs, with the support of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MMAS), deployed in June 2024 are inadequate to meet the scale of the harm to which the population is exposed. The paralysis of the Judiciary due to multiple attacks against its main institutions reinforces such a climate of impunity

In this context, the IACHR reiterates its call to the international community to intensify efforts to support the Haitian State and people in facing the serious multidimensional crisis it is experiencing. This includes ensuring that a diversity of civil society actors is consulted and can meaningfully participate in discussions and actions to stabilize the political processes and improve security.

The IACHR is a principal, autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), whose mandate derives from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission is mandated to promote the observance of human rights in the region and to act as a consultative body to the OAS in this area. The IACHR is composed of seven independent members who are elected by the OAS General Assembly in their personal capacity and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 022/25

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