Carlos Ruiz-Masieu, head of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), said the country had entered a “critical phase” in efforts to restore democratic institutions, and called on Haitian actors to contain political fragmentation and prioritize elections.
“Let’s be clear: The country no longer has time to waste in protracted infighting.”he said, highlighting the need for continuity of governance arrangements beyond the February deadline and for sustained coordination to end the transition.
Ruiz-Masieu said recent steps toward elections were encouraging, citing the adoption of an electoral decree on December 1 and the publication of a calendar for going to the polls at the end of that month.
New provisions on voter registration, overseas voter participation and women’s representation could boost inclusion if effectively implemented, she added.
Security remains fragile
But progress on the political front is occurring against a backdrop of a deteriorating security landscape.
Gangs continue to organize coordinated attacks, controlling key economic corridors and agricultural regions and forcing mass displacement, pushing police and humanitarian capacity to the limit.
The homicide rate in 2025 increased almost 20 percent compared to 2024, he said.
Some progress has been made in security. Police operations, supported by the Security Council-authorized Gang Suppression Force, have reopened roads in parts of Port-au-Prince and the Artibonite Department, while state presence around the capital’s Champ de Mars has been gradually restored.
However, Ruiz-Massieu warned that those gains remain fragile and risk being reversed without sustained pressure and the provision of basic services.
Read our explainer on the situation in Haiti: Why the crisis is deepening and what comes next
Gang reorganization and restructuring
The evolution of violence reflects a deeper transformation of Haiti’s criminal landscape, according to John Brandolino, Acting Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Once fragmented gangs have reorganized into structured criminal networks with defined leadership, territorial ambitions, and diversified sources of income.
Coalitions like Viv Ansanm have coordinated large-scale attacks on police, prisons and economic infrastructure, he said, allowing gangs to consolidate control over Port-au-Prince and strategic corridors to Artibonite and Plateau Central.
Extortion has become a fundamental source of income, along with trafficking in drugs, weapons and ammunition.
Implications for regional security
UNODC said the crisis is increasingly regional, driven by adaptive arms trafficking routes, illicit financial flows and corruption. Despite law enforcement efforts, traffickers continue to reroute through weaker ports and transfer overseas to evade embargo controls.
Both officials stressed the importance of the transition from the Multinational Security Support Mission to the Gang Suppression Force and the establishment of the UN Support Office in Haiti, and called for predictable funding and continued international support.
Beyond security, the humanitarian situation remains terrible. Around 6.4 million people need assistancewith Haiti among the least funded humanitarian responses globally.