The top U.N. official in Haiti says gangs have escalated their violence and expanded operations outside the capital, even attacking small boats and kidnapping personnel from cargo shipping companies.

Diego Da Rin, a Haiti analyst with the International Crisis Group, stated that Haiti’s politics and violence are closely linked. He emphasized the seriousness of the threats against current leaders and called for immediate action. He noted that periods of political crisis often coincide with increased armed group activity.

Haitian gangs are ramping up attacks on areas they do not yet control, the head of the United Nation's Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) warned on Tuesday, after days of renewed violence from an alliance of armed gangs in the Caribbean nation.