Two police inspectors and one civilian killed by armed gangs in Carrefour

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Armed bandits operating in the southwestern Port-au-Prince commune of Carrefour killed Thursday two divisional police inspectors and a civilian, whose names have not yet been revealed. The triple murder occurred on Rue Genet in Arcachon 32, according to Lionel Lazarre, the coordinator of the Haitian National Police Union (SYNAPOHA). The alleged assassins took the bodies of the victims away with them.

“Who will say that it is enough?” said Lazarre following the assassination of the two divisional police inspectors. “Until when will the police stop being killed?” he questioned.

Following their deadly attacks on June 30 in Gressier, where they killed at least 25 and kidnapped several people among residents there, the bandits struck again, causing further deaths within the ranks of the Haitian National Police (PNH). After the terror in Gressier, during the same week, they attacked and burned the Saint-Charles sub-police station in Carrefour.

These recent assaults on the police coincided with changes at the highest levels of the police establishment aimed at better combating gangs. And all has been happening against the backdrop of the deployment of the first contingent of the Kenya-led non-UN Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission.

A contingent of around 200 Kenyan police officers has been stationed near Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince since their arrival on June 25 to support the PNH. Although they have patrolled the streets twice and collaborated with the Haitian police to identify key areas of concern, they have not yet engaged in operations to combat gangs. Haitians, especially on social media, are calling for their swift deployment to help restore stability.

While the SYNAPOHA coordinator welcomes all these strategic changes and moves, it also laments the increasing number of police officers being assassinated without repercussions for the assassins.

Lazarre promised more details on the reasons behind these murders and the names of the victims. The police high command has not yet communicated anything about this latest gang attack, which left two PNH members dead. This tragedy brings the total number of police officers killed by bullets since January 2024 to 23.

Before these killings, three agents of the Temporary Antigang Unit (UTAG) were murdered during an ambush on June 9 at Delmas 18, a locality in northeast Port-au-Prince, by the notorious Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier’s gang coalition. 

For several years, the police have not been spared from acts of banditry. Between October 28, 2021, and June 9, 2024, 120 police officers were murdered—a stark indicator of the escalating security crisis in the country.

Despite Frantz Elbé’s departure from the general directorate of the police institution after being severely criticized and his replacement with Rameau Normil, attacks on the PNH have not stopped.

After a relative period of calm, where activities resumed timidly, the gangs have seemingly re-activated their offensive grip while Haitian authorities continue to multiply meetings without concrete actions against the bandits.

Barbecue’s “Viv Ansanm” gang coalition controlling the road leading to the Great South continues to have its way in the area. Meanwhile, gangs in Bel-Aire and downtown Port-au-Prince are increasing their attacks on different neighborhoods, terrorizing residents.

Not a day passes without reports of fires, assassinations and gunshot wounds from gangs in the country, particularly in the metropolitan region of Port-au-Prince. 

Prime Minister Garry Conille, traveling to the United States on June 28 for official business, promised in an interview with Radio France Internation (RFI) that the PNH and the Armed Forces will intensify their coordinating efforts to protect the Haitian people with the support of the international community.

“I assume the gangs are positioning themselves,” said Prime Minister Conille. “But what is certain is that, whatever they are doing, I assure you that within a not-too-distant time frame, the State will regain control of the entire national territory.”

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