UNITED NATIONS (CMC) — The head of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), Carlos Ruiz-Massieu, says Haiti has entered a “critical phase” in efforts to restore democratic institutions as the political transition is set to expire on February 7.

Ruiz-Massieu, who addressed the United Nations Security Council earlier this week, is calling on Haitian stakeholders to contain political fragmentation and prioritise elections.

“Let us be clear: the country no longer has time to waste on prolonged internal struggles,” he said, stressing the need for continuity of governance arrangements beyond the February deadline and sustained coordination to bring the transition to a close.

Ruiz-Massieu said recent steps toward elections were encouraging, citing the adoption of an electoral decree on December 1 and the publication of a calendar for polls later that month.

He said that new provisions on voter registration, overseas voter participation and women’s representation could boost inclusivity if effectively implemented.

But progress on the political front is unfolding against a deteriorating security landscape.

Gangs continue to mount coordinated attacks, control key economic corridors and agricultural regions, and force mass displacement — stretching police and humanitarian capacity to the limit.

Ruiz-Massieu said the murder rate in 2025 rose by nearly 20 per cent compared with 2024, but that some security gains have been made.

According to BINUH statistics, more than 8,100 Haitians were killed between January and November 2025, victims of armed violence. A figure likely underestimated due to limited access to areas controlled by gangs. In Artibonite and the Centre, 1,916 deaths were reported in 2025, compared to 1,050 over the same period in 2024. Between September 1 and November 30, 2025, the provisional toll stands at 1,991 killed, including 142 women, 12 girls and 44 boys.

Police operations, supported by the security council-authorised Gang Suppression Force, have reopened roads in parts of Port-au-Prince and the Artibonite Department, while state presence around the capital’s Champ de Mars has been gradually restored.

Ruiz-Massieu cautioned, however, that such gains remain fragile and risk reversal without sustained pressure and basic service delivery.

The evolving violence reflects a deeper transformation of Haiti’s criminal landscape, according to John Brandolino, acting executive director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC).

Once-fragmented gangs have reorganised into structured criminal networks with defined leadership, territorial ambitions and diversified revenue streams.

Coalitions such as Viv Ansanm have coordinated large-scale attacks on police, prisons and economic infrastructure, he said, allowing gangs to consolidate control over Port-au-Prince and strategic corridors into Artibonite and Plateau Central.

Extortion has become a core revenue source, alongside trafficking in drugs, weapons and ammunition.

UNODC said the crisis is increasingly regional, driven by adaptive arms-trafficking routes, illicit financial flows and corruption. Despite enforcement efforts, traffickers continue to shift routes through weaker ports and offshore transfers to evade embargo controls.