By: Staff Writer
May 12, 2026
Four people have been convicted in the United States in connection with the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise.
Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla and James Solages were found guilty on Friday of conspiring to kill or kidnap Moise, whose assassination left a political vacuum in the Caribbean nation that has compounded overlapping security and humanitarian crises.
They were also convicted of providing material support for the plot in violation of US law. All four face possible life sentences.
Upon the slaying of Moise, Haiti has been in a free-fall with violence spiralling out of control with no signs of abating and seemingly no answer for it.
The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti has reported that at least 1,642 people were killed and 745 others injured in Haiti during the first quarter of 2026.
In its latest assessment, Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Haiti and head of BINUH Carlos Ruiz Massieu said insecurity remains “daily and unbearable” for many Haitians, with violence spreading beyond the capital, Port-au-Prince, into regions including Artibonite and the Centre.
He noted that while security operations have limited gang expansion in parts of downtown Port-au-Prince, armed groups continue to exert control over several areas and are responsible for widespread human rights abuses.
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.