Armed gangs have tightened their grip on Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince, UN officials warned Wednesday, saying it is possible a “total collapse” of state presence in the city could occur.
This comes as Kenya marked a year since its first batch of police landed in Haitian capital to help control gang violence.
The first group arrived on June 25, 2024 amid celebrations from locals who saw them as hope to contain the surging gangs.
And a year later, on June 24, 2025, Kenya’s new Consular General Noor Gabow arrived in Port-au-Prince ready for the task ahead.
He was scheduled to present his papers to the local president to officially start his work.
Gabow, the immediate former Deputy Inspector General of Administration Police had led the mission and landed there with the first group of police officers on June 25, 2024.
The UN said Wednesday the situation on the ground is dire.
“We have continued to witness a sharp erosion of state authority and the rule of law.
Brutal gang violence affects every aspect of public and private life,” Miroslav Jenca, UN assistant secretary-general for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, told a Security Council meeting.
Despite “their best efforts,” local police and a Kenya-led multinational support mission have been unable to make headway in restoring state authority, he said.
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