Haïti’s capital rebounds amid insecurity after months of gang attacks

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Life in Port-au-Prince has shown signs of revival since May. More people are on the streets, public transit stations are bustling with Taptaps and minibusses, and merchants are displaying their goods to eager buyers. Residents are cautiously resuming their daily activities after months of violent gang attacks.

“From last week of May to this Monday, June 3, there has been a noticeable decrease in gunshots,” said Jonas, a lottery seller in the Turgeau neighborhoods, a few meters from the Champ-de-Mars.

Jonas (not his real name for safety) vividly remembers the terrifying days when armed attacks terrorized the neighborhood where he carries out his economic activities. He said he witnessed a day when bullets shattered his neighbors’ windows and armed individuals attempted to assassinate a police officer nearby where he resides in the Poste Marchand neighborhood. “It looks like these gentlemen are on a mission to destroy the area,” Jonas said. 

Since February 29, Haïti’s capital has been under siege with armed demanding the resignation of the former Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, and resorted to attacking the police, public infrastructure, and even the Toussaint International Airport. This climate of fear led to the suspension of commercial flights and confined residents to their homes, causing businesses to shut down and schools to close. Displacement soared as violence consumed the city.

Recently, schools have reopened, and the streets are once again filled with students in uniforms. Commercial banks are operating, in communes like Delmas, Pétion-Ville, and some neighborhoods near downtown Port-au-Prince. Currency exchange offices have resumed business. However, the city’s recovery is not uniform.

Port-au-Prince experiences another configuration

While areas like Delmas, Pétion-Ville, and other parts of the capital, such as Carrefour de l’Aéoport, are showing signs of returning to normal, the central area of downtown Port-au-Prince remains a battleground. The impact of the recent gang attacks has significantly altered the city center’s operations forcing public transportation hubs and markets to relocate for safety.

“You can suddenly see smoke rising from an arson attack,” says a resident of Fort National, near the capital national palace and the neighborhood of Bel-Air, a gang-controlled area. As of June 3, the situation remains the same in the area still under threat of attack from the gang.

“Once they finished looting a house, they set fire,” added the resident. “  There are many houses in Fort National without doors, furniture and the owners have fled.” 

Indeed, the gangs have changed the functioning of the city center. The various public transport stops for buses that travel from the communes of Port-au-Prince to Carrefour, the town of Les Cayes, Jérémie, and Delmas have relocated from the downtown neighborhood of Portail Léogâne, near the general hospital, to a new station located in the once-residential areas of Avenue Christophe and rue Lalue for safety reasons. The Portail Léogâne area is now under the control of gangs who have driven away police officers from the local police station.

The once-thriving public markets in downtown areas like Croix-des-Bossales and Marché en Fer have become unsafe. Traders have moved to safer areas like the neighborhoods of Lalue, and Pacôt turning streets into bustling open markets. Similarly, electronics repair shops have relocated from Rue Pavée to Avenue Lamartinière in the Bois-Verna neighborhood. Some people still venture into the dangerous areas such as the  Bel-Air neighborhood but it is at the cost of their lives, a shoemaker tells The Haitian Times. 

“If you look down towards the area commonly called ‘Carrefour Tifou’ you can say, here is the Croix-des-Bossales,” says a tailor on Avenue Lamartinière. “It’s business after business in this area now. Everyone who used to sell car parts has come up here.” 

Despite some banks reopening, security concerns persist, and many branches in the downtown area remain closed. The streets that once housed many banks are marred by litter, and the roads are in disrepair.

As Port-au-Prince seeks to recover, the new Prime Minister Garry Conille who took over on June 3 faces the monumental task of addressing gang-fueled insecurity, revising the constitution, and organizing elections in 2025. The city remains fragile, with its future hanging in the balance amidst the threat of many armed individuals and the urgent need for rebuilding efforts.

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