CIVICUS discusses Haiti’s worsening humanitarian and security crisis with Chaduc Louis, Secretary General of the Vialet Association of Progressive Youth (AJPV), a civil society organisation that defends human rights and helps displaced people.

Haiti is experiencing an unprecedented crisis that has unfolded since the assassination of the president in 2021. Gangs have extended their control over most of the capital and beyond during 2024 and 2025, causing the breakdown of daily life, paralysis of essential services and widespread displacement. Vulnerable groups are particularly affected by gang violence, while the state’s authority is slipping away.

How has the situation worsened?

The deterioration in the situation in Haiti can be traced back to the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on 7 July 2021, which left a deep institutional and political vacuum. Since this happened, the Haitian state has never managed to re-establish functional authority or a minimum level of stability. Lack of effective governance has allowed armed groups to grow stronger, organise themselves and gradually extend their territorial control.

This dynamic has accelerated dramatically since 2024. Gangs have consolidated their hold on strategic neighbourhoods, roads and key infrastructure, causing public security to collapse almost entirely. The state, heavily centralised in the capital, Port-au-Prince, has become paralysed, unable to perform its basic functions, leading to an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

What are the everyday impacts of the gangs’ territorial control?

The control exercised by gangs has turned daily life into a constant struggle for survival. The main roads are under their control, which drastically limits freedom of movement of people and goods. Residents live in constant fear of kidnapping, reprisals and violence.

This territorial control has devastating consequences for access to basic services, which is severely restricted. More than 80 per cent of Port-au-Prince, which is the country’s main economic centre, is now paralysed. Schools are closing, health centres are no longer functioning or inaccessible and markets can no longer be supplied normally. This is exacerbating food insecurity, depriving children of education and preventing ill people receiving care, plunging millions of people into extreme precariousness.

How is civil society responding, and what obstacles does it face?

Despite the extremely dangerous context, Haitian civil society continues to intervene on the ground, often at risk to its members’ lives. Human rights organisations, such as the AJPV, play a crucial role in responding to the immediate needs of displaced people.

In practical terms, these organisations register displaced people, identify their priority needs and provide emergency assistance. For example, families have been housed in temporary shelters for several months and have received basic necessities, food aid and psychosocial support. This local action is essential, as in many areas the state is completely absent.

Civil society organisations face many structural obstacles. The lack of qualified staff, insufficient funding and the absence of technical capacities in humanitarian management severely limit their effectiveness and scope. Many organisations operate with meagre resources compared to the scale of the needs.

On top of this there are major security risks. Human rights defenders face intimidation, pressure and sometimes direct threats in the field. Their work is made even more dangerous by the lack of institutional protection and the proliferation of uncontrolled armed groups. Despite these risks, they continue to act, often at the expense of their personal safety.

Is the international community responding adequately, and what should it do?

The international response has been to provide some humanitarian aid, but it remains largely insufficient and poorly targeted. Around 60 per cent of displaced people do not receive assistance, due to access, coordination and strategy issues. The gaps are particularly visible in the areas most affected by violence, where aid struggles to reach.

In the short term, the priorities must be to provide direct financial assistance and set up safe temporary shelters. In the medium and long term, it is imperative to permanently relocate displaced people, strengthen the capacities of Haitian civil society and ensure any humanitarian response incorporates a human rights-based approach. Otherwise, the crisis will continue to worsen.