UN cautions against unrealistic voting dates in Haiti amid surge in gang violence

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - The UN cautioned the Security Council on Monday against setting unrealistic election timetables in Haiti, warning that premature polling schedules risk undermining institutional credibility amid escalating gang violence.

"The repeated announcement of electoral dates without a true assessment of their credibility, of their feasibility, only serves to weaken credibility with Haitian institutions," Carlos Ruiz Massieu, special representative and head of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti, told the council.

Massieu said electoral momentum has reached its highest level of progress in more than a decade, drawing more than 3,500 registered candidates and more than 35 political factions following an Oct. 6 decree. He stressed, however, that any adjustment to the voting calendar must rely on "a realistic understanding of the logistics and the security situation in the country."

- Surge in violence, humanitarian toll

Gangs killed more than 1,000 people and abducted more than 100 others this July to September, expanding attacks into rural zones and the Artibonite department while employing hostage-taking and sexual violence, Massieu said. The deteriorating security situation displaced more than 17,000 people over three months, raising the total number of internally displaced persons to nearly 1.5 million, half of them children, he said, cautioning that in 2026 Haiti's economy faces a projected seventh consecutive year of contraction.

Multinational security efforts face acute operational bottlenecks alongside the electoral hurdles. Jack Christofides, special representative for the Gang Suppression Force, reported that personnel deployed surpassed 2,000 troops from six nations over the weekend, but cautioned that severe logistics deficits and equipment shortages hinder operations against armed syndicates.

"The constraint is moving people and equipment, communications, vehicles, and the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities that make a unit useful once it reaches Haiti," he said, warning that deploying personnel without proper tools endangers both officers and civilians.

He added that hostile gang clashes surged from two to 15 incidents in a single month, while local judicial collapse led to the release of 18 out of 26 suspects recently captured.

Daniela Kroslak, head of the UN Support Office in Haiti, confirmed that the logistics pipeline helped double the force since July with contingents from Bangladesh, Chad, Guatemala, and Sri Lanka. Kroslak also expressed "deep" concern over an ambush near the border targeting multinational personnel, voicing hope for the safe return of Salvadoran service members reported missing.

Muhammed Yasin Güngör