Report offers new insight into Haitian gangs as general election looms

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A report published Wednesday offers new insight into how gangs in Haiti backed by political and economic actors operate in a country preparing for its first general elections in more than 10 years.

The 94-page report was compiled from October 2025 to July 2026 by experts appointed by the U.N. Secretary General. They traveled to Haiti, meeting with dozens of people including confidential sources whose information they say was corroborated by independent sources.

The experts noted there are now “violent fractures” within a powerful gang alliance known as Viv Ansanm . The alliance, formed in 2023, launched attacks in 2024 on key state infrastructure.

The fragmentation of the gang alliance “exposes civilians to renewed violence, displacement and sexual violence in areas that were … stabilized,” said Romain Le Cour, head of the Haiti Observatory at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

Le Cour said that in the lead-up to elections, relationships between criminal leaders, brokers, and political and economic figures are re-activating.

“Each leader will seek political and electoral arrangements on its own terms, not Viv Ansanm anymore, based on what it can offer: territory, access to voters, security of the process, protection of economic assets, and rewards once the vote is over," he said.

The report noted that gangs remain resilient despite two U.N.-backed missions aimed at quelling violence, warning that “targeting gang leaders without addressing the networks that sustain them will inevitably fall short.”

The report asserted that gangs remain strong thanks to “political, economic and security actors who back gangs when it serves their interests.” It warned that ties between some local authorities and gangs are aimed “at consolidating territorial control and influencing upcoming elections.”

It noted that in late May, a new municipal commission was established in the Port-au-Prince community of Cite Soleil, and that at least one commissioner is an active gang member.

The report accused Alfrédo Junior Antoine, a former legislator representing Kenscoff, of arming and supporting youth groups “as a political tool for his agenda.” It also held him responsible for kidnappings and for sponsoring an attack in Kenscoff in 2025 that led to more than 100 deaths and multiple rapes. Kenscoff is a once peaceful farming community near Haiti's capital.

The report accused Antoine of providing weapons, ammunition and financial resources to Viv Ansanm.

Experts said Antoine denied the allegations in an email.

The report also singled out former Haitian Senator Nenel Cassy, accusing him of controlling a criminal group in Miragoane and supporting armed people “to advance his political agenda and interests.”

In 2025, Haitian National Police issued a warrant for Cassy, describing him as “armed and dangerous.”

“I am a pacifist,” he told The Associated Press by phone on Wednesday.

He called on the experts to retract his name and allegations from the report, saying it was “incorrect and unfounded.”

Cassy said Haiti’s judicial system has not found him guilty of anything.

“I am accused of having relations with armed groups,” he said. “Nothing has been established.”

He dismissed alleged ties to gangs, saying he has never bought or sold arms and that he doesn’t have the funds for such activities. He asserted that the accusations are political persecution.

Cassy said he wants to see free, honest, democratic and inclusive elections in Haiti, adding that “for the instant,” he is not considering a run for president or Parliament.

The report noted that the lower region of the Artibonite Department — Haiti’s second-largest electoral district — has been hit with an “unprecedented level of coordinated gang violence” since March.

Experts said that the “historic use of gangs” by former Senator Youri Latortue and ex-lawmaker Prophane Victor has fueled the violence.

“Sources warned that, ahead of elections, these individuals may exploit ties to gangs to mobilize support, intimidate rivals and undermine stability. They also cautioned that self-defense groups linked to local political dynamics could be used as tools of intimidation,” the report stated.

It also called out delayed implementation of U.N. sanctions, noting that one of Victor’s frozen bank accounts only has $421: “The meagre amounts of money frozen by banks do not correlate with the wealth accumulated by those individuals.”

The report found $0 frozen in Haiti’s central bank accounts for multiple gang leaders, and only $2.63 frozen in the account of Dimitri Hérard, ex-head of security at Haiti’s National Palace who is accused in the July 2021 killing of President Jovenel Moïse.

The report called out corrupt police officers — including one nicknamed “My Man” — accused of supplying gangs with weapons, ammunition and intelligence.

One policeman was responsible for picking up a gang leader’s girlfriend at the airport and for verifying the financial status of people before they were kidnapped.

Help from some officers aside, the report noted that traffickers find it so easy to smuggle weapons into Haiti that most use their own names from federal firearms licensees.

As Haiti pushes to hold elections soon, the experts warned about an increase in sexual violence and in gangs recruiting children.

Children earn about $1,000 and a motorcycle for enrollment, and they receive $114 to $190 every two weeks. They also get food, alcohol and drugs and an extra $500 for participating in “important combat operations,” the report revealed.

In addition, two gangs now have cells that are exclusively female, experts said.

The report noted that Haitians are increasingly relying on vigilantes for protection, and that while authorities have regained control of some areas, “gains remain fragile" and main roads remain under gang control.