Haitian government may be overthrown by gangs, say Caribbean nations

• A new report is putting Haitian authorities on high alert as it says that gangs are aiming to overthrow the government by targeting a Kenya-led multinational security support force. The news comes as Haiti’s humanitarian crisis continues to worsen.
• The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) reports that more than 1 million Haitians are now displaced and nearly 60,000 people fled their homes in the past month alone.
• CARICOM is still holding out hope, despite the rise in violence, for “free and fair elections” in February 2026.

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Haitian authorities already stretched thin are facing a new threat, according to a report from the heads of government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on Sunday, April 13.

In a statement, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who also serves as the chairperson for CARICOM, said that criminal organizations are working to take control of Haiti’s transitional government.

CARICOM is warning of a possible attempt to seize power, which may involve trying to destabilize a United Nations-backed Kenyan-led multinational security support mission (MSS), largely funded by the United States.

How is the US responding?

The warning comes as the Trump administration reaffirmed U.S. support for the Kenya-led mission in Haiti, aimed at quelling gang violence.

In a statement released on Sunday, the U.S. State Department condemned “any actions to destabilize Haiti’s Transitional President Council.”

The statement went on to say that the U.S. “supports the efforts by the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission and CARICOM to assist the government in its efforts to bring peace and stability to Haiti in the face of armed criminal gangs.”

Despite the reaffirmed support, Haiti’s gang and humanitarian crisis continues to worsen.

As Straight Arrow News recently reported, the island nation is on the verge of falling to gangs, with roughly 90% of its capital of Port-au-Prince under gang control.

What does CARICOM want done about the threat?

CARICOM said it “strongly condemns” any effort to overthrow the transitional government and hopes to “pave the way for free and fair elections by February of next year.” To achieve this goal, CARICOM is calling on more support for the MSS mission from the U.N., as well as asking the United States to facilitate more support for Haitian authorities.

U.N. officials are also calling for more support to stop the flow of illegal firearms into the country, which fall into the hands of Haitian gangs. There have also been reports of police corruption, as Straight Arrow News reported last month.

How many Haitians have been impacted?

CARICOM said more than 1 million Haitians are now displaced and many face hunger as well as the threat of disease and violence. CARICOM also said that in the past month, nearly 60,000 Haitians have fled their homes as civil unrest worsens.