A United Nations review put Haiti’s toll at 1,123 deaths and 440 injuries from mid-July through Oct. 12, 2026, as gang violence strains preparations for national elections.
The U.N. secretary-general’s report attributed 808 of those casualties to security operations. It said 148 of the people affected by those operations were not associated with gangs.
Carlos Ruiz Massieu, the U.N. secretary-general’s special representative for Haiti, told the Security Council on Monday that gangs were responding to intensified operations by taking hostages, intimidating residents and attacking communities. He said the violence had also spread into rural areas.
An Aug. 23 gang assault in Kenscoff resulted in more than 52 abductions and at least 47 deaths, the U.N. human rights office said, citing information it had verified at the time.
Haiti’s Conseil Électoral Provisoire (CEP) scheduled the first round of presidential and legislative elections for Dec. 13, provided security and funding conditions were met. In an Oct. 5 notice, it postponed campaigning, extended candidate registration through Oct. 31 and said it would revise the election timetable. The notice neither withdrew the Dec. 13 polling date nor supplied a replacement. Haiti last held national elections in 2016.
The secretary-general’s report listed 1,563 uniformed personnel in the Gang Suppression Force as of Oct. 12. Its authorization covers up to 5,500 uniformed personnel and 50 civilians. Ruiz Massieu said areas recovered from gangs would need a sustained state presence, alongside programs to disarm and reintegrate recruits, particularly children.
Nearly 1.5 million people were internally displaced, including more than 740,000 children, Ruiz Massieu said. He also said Haiti’s economy was projected to shrink for a seventh consecutive year in 2026, while less than half of its humanitarian response plan was funded.
The CEP’s next stated deadline is Oct. 31 for candidate registration. It has not set a date for publishing the revised calendar.
