At UN, Pakistan Demands International Action After Brutal Haiti Gang Massacre Claims 47 Lives
Published August 29, 2026 | 12:50 PM
(APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 29th Aug, 2026)
Pakistan urged the UN Security Council on Friday to rapidly deploy international support to Haiti following a brutal gang massacre of at least 47 people—including children hiding in a church—near Port-au-Prince, the strife-torn Caribbean country’s capital.
"Regrettably, the situation in Haiti has seen little improvement," Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, told the 15-member Council which met in emergency on the recent developments in Haiti.
"The latest incident is a grim and stark reminder of the long drawn precarious security situation faced by the Haitian people with atrocious attacks by gangs targeting the civilians that disproportionately affect women and children."
In September 2025, the Security Council adopted resolution 2793 (2025), authorizing a multinational Gang Suppression Force (GSF) in Haiti to replace the Kenyan-led security support mission amid escalating gang violence.
Ambassador Asim Ahmad underscored the need to overcome logistic challenges that GSF continues to face:
"Timely deployment, with necessary resources, was critical to deter the gangs and instill a sense of security among the population."
He stressed that:
"For a secure environment to take hold, the flow of illegal weapons into Haiti must stop."
While international support for Haiti remains crucial, he said, "a durable solution requires addressing the underlying multifarious drivers of instability."
"This would require a Haitian-led and Haitian-owned response, aligned with its domestic circumstances," the Pakistani envoy concluded, hoping that all political stakeholders would work together towards that end.
Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), condemned the gang attack carried out in Kenscoff, a commune near Port-au-Prince, during the night of 23 to 24 August. He called for the immediate and unconditional release of all those abducted.
The massacre demonstrated the gangs’ ability to expand their influence beyond Port-au-Prince and challenge State authority. BINUH documented 1,408 people killed and 656 injured between April and June 2026 alone.
Massieu welcomed increased coordination among the Haitian National Police, Haitian Armed Forces, and Gang Suppression Force, calling for the Force’s swift and full deployment. However, security operations must be accompanied by meaningful economic development initiatives to address the root causes of gang violence.
