UN Secretary General António Guterres issued a statement Sunday condemning an attack by armed gangs in Haiti that killed at least 40 people. Women, children, and the elderly were among the victims of the attack in the Cabaret commune of Haiti’s West Department.

Violence has surged in Haiti since President Jovenel Moïse’s assassination in July 2021 created a power vacuum that gangs exploited, using increasingly sophisticated weapons trafficked from abroad to seize territory from the weakened state. More than 5,600 people were killed in gang violence in 2024 alone, a sharp increase from the previous year, while over 1.3 million Haitians have been displaced in what officials call the largest political displacement in the nation’s history.

A UN-backed police mission was deployed to Haiti in 2024 in a bid to restore order, but due reportedly to resource shortages, has struggled to make an impact. UN officials have warned of the state’s possible collapse amid the gang violence.

Against the backdrops of gang violence and power struggles, Haiti’s people have reported serious human rights violations from all sides.

Guterres called on UN Member States to “expedite efforts towards strengthening the [international police] mission with required logistics, personnel and funding to effectively assist the Haitian National Police in addressing gang violence in Haiti in full respect of international human rights law.”