Haiti has been experiencing unrest since 2021, but a recent surge in gang violence, highlighted by an incident in which a UN helicopter was fired upon, has intensified concerns about the situation in the country.

Armed gangs in Haiti opened fire on a United Nations helicopter on Thursday, prompting it to land in the capital, Port-au-Prince. The Associated Press and other U.S. media outlets reported that the helicopter, which was carrying three crew members and 15 passengers, landed safely.

UN helicopters play a crucial role in delivering food and other essential aid to millions of Haitians in communities that are inaccessible due to road conditions and gang control. While there has been no official confirmation regarding the attack on the helicopter, which was operated by the UN's World Food Program, such incidents heighten concerns about the increasing influence of armed gangs.

The situation in Haiti is dire, with much of Port-au-Prince and its surrounding areas under the control of various armed groups united under an alliance called Viv Ansanm. Earlier this month, armed gangs set numerous houses on fire in a town located approximately 60 miles north of Port-au-Prince. This violence resulted in the deaths of at least 70 individuals, including three infants, marking one of the worst instances of violence in recent history for a nation known for its gang-related issues.

The UN migration agency reported that over 10,000 people were internally displaced in just the last week. In September, the agency noted that more than 700,000 individuals were internally displaced throughout the Caribbean nation, a figure that has nearly doubled in the past six months.

Haiti has been plagued by armed gangs since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. The current government holds little power and depends on a UN-backed multinational security mission to combat the gangs. This security support mission currently has about 400 police officers deployed, tasked with assisting the Haitian national police. This force is expected to expand to 2,500 officers, with Kenya announcing earlier this week during a UN Security Council briefing that it would bolster the security mission with an additional 600 officers by mid-November.

However, the gangs are heavily armed, primarily due to gun trafficking from the United States, a concern that U.S. lawmakers recently addressed in a letter to the Biden administration.