By: Staff Writer
October 13, 2026
Haitian gangs remain tied to political and private sector actors ahead of the December 13 presidential elections in Haiti, a United Nations Panel of Experts report states.
The 94 page report details the level of country readiness ahead of the presidential elections this coming December and how statewide security may play a pivotal factor in the country moving forward.
The report said that despite the gangs’ apparent autonomy, ties persist between gangs and State and private actors – particularly ahead of elections, when territorial control and perceptions of stability are critical.
Political drivers have triggered violence in the commune of Kenscoff and the Artibonite Department the report indicated. They have also shaped gangs’ expansion efforts into southern Grande-Anse Department, where Guy Philippe – a former senior police officer who has pursued political ambitions and backed Viv Ansanm and also met repeatedly with Jean Misnord (a.k.a “Fado”), the third-in command of the Simon Pelé gang.
Certain businessmen, as well as serving Haitian police officers, are exploiting the unstable security situation, including road blockades, to generate illicit revenues. Collusion between gangs, e.g., Tokyo, Simon Pelé and Ti Bwa, and Haitian police officers – who supply weapons and enable gang movements – weakens security operations, contributing to gang leaders evading capture.
“The Panel is concerned about collusion between some members of local authorities and gangs within public institutions,” the group said after describing how an active member of the Brooklyn gang led by Gabriel Jean-Pierre, alias “Ti Gabriel,” was appointed in May to a new municipal commission in Cité Soleil established by the central government.
“These ties aim at consolidating territorial control and influencing upcoming elections, also building on Ti Gabriel’s long-standing political connections with a former member of parliament for Cité Soleil,” the panel said.
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.”