(2025-02) Locked in Transition: Politics and Violence in Haiti
Summary — Haiti's transitional government, formed in April 2024, has been paralyzed by infighting and corruption allegations, hindering efforts to curb surging gang violence. Despite the arrival of a Kenyan-led security mission, gangs maintain a strong grip on Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas, making safe elections improbable. The report urges authorities to overcome disputes, chart a realistic path to elections and constitutional reform, and secure sustainable international security support.
Key Findings
- Infighting and corruption allegations have paralyzed Haiti's transitional government, empowering gangs and making safe elections unlikely.
- Haiti urgently needs a legitimate government to lead the fight against gang violence and address the humanitarian crisis, but premature polls risk entrenching gang power.
- Transitional authorities must overcome internal wrangling, chart a realistic path to safe elections and constitutional reform.
- The UN Security Council must find a way to support international security forces to weaken gangs, especially with future U.S. funding in doubt.
Full Description
Haiti's transitional government, established in April 2024 with the promise of holding elections, has been largely ineffective due to partisan infighting and corruption allegations. This political dysfunction has empowered gangs, which continue to perpetrate massacres and control significant portions of Port-au-Prince and other regions. The Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, despite its deployment, struggles with understaffing, underfunding, and inadequate equipment, failing to significantly curb gang activity or ensure security for prospective elections.
The report highlights the urgent need for the transitional authorities to resolve internal disputes, appoint key security personnel, and develop a concrete strategy to reduce violence. It cautions against rushing into elections or constitutional reform under current insecure conditions, as this could further entrench gang power and undermine the legitimacy of any new government. Instead, it suggests establishing clear security benchmarks before polls, potentially extending the transitional government's mandate, and exploring sustainable international support options, including a potential UN peacekeeping mission, to effectively address the gang threat.