Haiti’s Gangs are Taking Over. The Trump Administration is Making It Worse.

Haiti faces a devastating crisis as the Viv Ansanm gang coalition controls ninety percent of Port-au-Prince. Despite this, the US is pressuring Haiti to hold elections by December. With millions unable to vote safely and security forces badly outmatched, rushing to the polls risks legitimising gangs or disenfranchising civilians entirely. References https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/09/1168366 https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20260718-as-gang-violence-expands-haiti-s-humanitarian-crisis-worsens https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/26/at-least-47-killed-50-kidnapped-in-grisly-gang-raid-in-haiti-says-un https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/05/1167559 https://time.com/article/2026/06/25/the-crisis-i-witnessed-in-haiti/ https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/08/1168222 https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2026/09/05/in-port-au-prince-haiti-when-violence-decreases-in-one-neighborhood-it-increases-elsewhere_6757183_23.html https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20260825-at-least-40-killed-as-gangs-attack-displaced-people-near-haiti-capital https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/hundreds-attend-funeral-in-haiti-for-4-victims-of-brutal-gang-attack-that-killed-47 https://www.france24.com/en/video/20260826-gang-attack-in-haiti-anger-mounts-over-police-failures https://www.dw.com/en/haiti-gang-members-kill-dozens-near-port-au-prince/a-78491117 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/new-human-rights-report-blames-police-recent-massacre-haiti-rcna598492 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/25/gang-attack-kenscoff-port-au-prince-haiti https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/24/violence-flares-in-haiti-as-gang-attack-kills-30-people https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/08/25/around-40-dead-in-gang-attack-near-haiti-s-capital_6756821_4.html https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/haiti-gangs-shift-operations-into-countryside-report-says-2026-09-07/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/09/03/haitis-gangs-are-powerful-restoring-security-needs-sustained-international-support/ https://www.rescue.org/article/haitis-gang-violence-crisis-what-know-and-how-help https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/article317045603.html https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/4/haitian-government-calls-for-renewal-of-international-anti-gang-task-force https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2026/07/recalibrating-us-policy-toward-haiti https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/05/15/us-sunk-970-million-mission-that-left-haiti-worse-now-its-trying-again/ https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/09/1168429 https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/article317336729.html https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/world/americas/haiti-election-gangs.html https://apnews.com/article/haiti-elections-voter-registration-gang-violence-36b6123f2a575d561bf8cd96aeb4ae40 https://www.csis.org/analysis/us-haiti-policy-opportunity-success https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/article317135089.html https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/haiti-too-insecure-august-presidential-vote-pm-says-2026-05-11/ https://www.africanews.com/2026/08/06/haiti-pushes-ahead-with-elections-despite-gang-violence/ https://x.com/AJEnglish/status/2103654598770843999 https://x.com/metropoleHT/status/2103253304125919425 https://x.com/Jacquiecharles/status/2103576379921174553 https://x.com/Jacquiecharles/status/2103129556697972861 https://x.com/Jacquiecharles/status/2103575421627343094 https://apnews.com/article/haiti-us-council-prime-minister-elections-676c3828f18282bcbfb425f2d80cad9e https://bisi.org.uk/reports/gang-governance-and-state-erosion-in-haiti https://securityjournalamericas.com/caribbean-latin-american-security-2026/ https://www.haitipolicyhouse.org/publications/before-after-portauprince https://inkstickmedia.com/port-au-prince-falls-and-a-fragmented-haiti-fights-to-survive/ https://www.crisisgroup.org/vid/latin-america-caribbean/haiti/mapping-conflict-haiti-verge-gang-takeover https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/nearly-15-million-displaced-haiti-violence-spreads-un-says-2026-09-25/ https://www.caribbeannationalweekly.com/posts/oas-states-call-for-renewal-and-full-deployment-of-haiti-gang-force https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/09/1168453 https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/dominican-leader-urges-un-step-up-backing-haiti-mission-2026-09-23/ https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/article314766071.html https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/crisis-haiti https://www.crisisgroup.org/latin-america-caribbean/caribbean/haiti https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/crisis-haiti-what-know https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/09/21/us-deportations-to-haiti-endanger-lives https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2025/10/9/death-from-above-drones-take-aim-at-gangs-in-haiti