This article is published in association with United Nations.
Haiti continues to face escalating violence and deepening insecurity, with gangs expanding their reach beyond Port-au-Prince and civilians increasingly caught between armed groups and security operations.
A new report released by the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) on Friday says at least 1,642 people were killed and 745 others injured during the first three months of 2026.
The report highlights worsening insecurity across the country, with violence continuing to spread beyond the capital into areas including Artibonite and the Centre department.
“Despite security advances in certain areas of downtown Port-au-Prince, insecurity is daily and unbearable for a large number of Haitians,” said Carlos Ruiz Massieu, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Haiti and Head of BINUH.
Gang violence spreads
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According to the report, gangs continued to commit widespread human rights abuses in areas under their control, including targeted killings, kidnappings, extortion and destruction of property.
One of the most disturbing incidents documented involves the execution of a 13-year-old in March after the child – who had reportedly been used as a gang “lookout” – flew a kite.
In Lower Artibonite, coordinated gang attacks between 29 and 31 March targeted 16 localities where self-defence groups had been established. At least 83 residents were killed and 38 injured.
“Overall, gang members were responsible for 27 per cent of those killed and injured during the quarter” said UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq.
The report also documents widespread sexual violence, including gang rape and sexual exploitation, affecting more than 292 victims, primarily women and girls between the ages of 12 and 17.
BINUH said more than 69 per cent of those killed or injured between January and March were the result of operations carried out by security forces against gangs, at times supported by a private military company using drones.
The report states that 69 civilians, including five children, were among the victims of drone strikes.
Despite the deteriorating security situation, the report notes some progress within Haiti’s judicial system.
In March, 14 judges were appointed to newly established specialized judicial units tasked with addressing mass crimes and financial crimes, following the appointment of 10 government prosecutors earlier this year.
Disease outbreaks and aid shortages worsen conditions across Gaza and the West Bank
Overcrowded shelters, mounting waste and severe shortages of basic supplies are worsening health conditions across the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestine refugees, warns that disease outbreaks and sanitation risks are spreading across Gaza, where cases of scabies, chickenpox and other skin diseases are rising.
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Rat bites are also being increasingly reported at health clinics, particularly in Khan Younis, Gaza City and North Gaza.
OCHA, the UN’s humanitarian affairs office, warned that restrictions on the entry of generators, engine oil and spare parts are driving widespread system failures, disrupting health, sanitation and debris-removal operations.
Humanitarian services continue
Despite ongoing hostilities and operational constraints, UNRWA says it is still providing critical humanitarian services across Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Around 11,000 Palestinian UNRWA personnel remain active in the Strip, while more than 4,000 staff provide education, health and relief services across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
“We continue to do everything possible to protect families and maintain a safe, healthy environment,” said Bashar, a camp sanitation worker in Gaza.
Since October 2023, the agency has delivered more than 17.2 million health consultations.
UNRWA reported providing protection services to 4,265 survivors of gender-based violence and 7,340 children, including more than 3,200 unaccompanied children.
In Gaza, Israeli forces maintain a high level of military activity, particularly in the north, where a UNRWA school sheltering displaced people in Jabalia was reportedly struck by bullets, injuring two people inside the facility.
In the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the report also highlights ongoing violence. According to OCHA, 1,088 Palestinians there, including at least 238 children, have been killed since 7 October 2023.
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UN pays tribute to Earth Champion David Attenborough on his 100th birthday
And finally, the world paid tribute on Friday to a newly minted centurion, the famed naturalist Sir David Attenborough.
When he was far beyond most people’s retirement age, Sir David became even more outspoken on the environment and the damage that we are wreaking on the planet.
Well into his 90s, Mr. Attenborough was honoured for his work by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), which presented him with the prestigious Champions of the Earth award in 2022.
“The world has to get together,” he said. “These problems cannot be solved by one nation – no matter how big that single nation is. We know what the problems are and we know how to solve them. All we lack is unified action.”
Sir David celebrated his 100th birthday along with a lifetime of environmental advocacy, which has included hugely influential and beloved documentaries produced for the BBC, including Life on Earth, the Living Planet and Our Blue Planet.
He said on Thursday that he had been hoping for a quiet celebration. There was never much chance of that.
A congratulatory message from the UN Secretary-General António Guterres is just one of many tributes from leading figures in science, politics and the arts, a live event at London’s Royal Albert Hall and the decision by the UK’s Natural History Museum to name a newly discovered parasitic wasp Attenboroughnculus tau after him.
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