At least 28 gang members killed in  Pétion-Ville, igniting violence and fear across Port-au-Prince

PORT-AU-PRINCE — At least 28 alleged gang members were killed in Pétion-Ville on Tuesday morning, Nov. 19 as Haiti’s National Police (PNH) conducted a sweeping operation following an overnight assault on the upscale neighborhood by the “Viv Ansanm” gang coalition. The residents in Petion-Ville are on lockdown following this operation fearing that bandits fleeing PNH will hide in their neighborhood.

PNH Deputy Spokesman Lionel Lazarre confirmed the death toll, adding that hundreds of rounds of ammunition were seized in the operation. Residents, armed with machetes, joined police efforts, obstructing roads with barricades to block gangs from advancing further.

The violence erupted just days after the inauguration of Fils-Aimé’s new government, which vowed to tackle Haiti’s security crisis. Chérizier had previously warned of plans to target Pétion-Ville, where he accused local elites of harboring political figures and oligarchs. The attack also extended to nearby Canapé Vert and other areas, prompting a total shutdown in Pétion-Ville. NGOs and residents alike were advised to shelter in place.

This latest gang assault compounds the terror that has gripped Port-au-Prince over the past week, as families continue to flee en masse. With thousands displaced and neighborhoods like Nazon and Delmas under siege, the capital remains on edge.

 Fleeing ahead of gang attacks, the desperate strategy of Port-au-Prince residents 

The residents of Solino, a once-resistant neighborhood, lost hope after a Nov. 12 gang attack claimed the life of a police officer. By the next day, thousands of families began packing their belongings and running for their lives, fearing further violence. This desperate exodus soon spread to other neighborhoods, including Poupelard, Nazon, Delmas 24 and Delmas 30 notably.

From Nov. 11 to 17, Port-au-Prince endured a week of extreme terror as gangs expanded their reach. Families, including newborns, children and elders, carried what they could—clothes, briefcases, furniture and other essential items—using cars, motorcycles, bicycles and even wheelbarrows to escape. They rushed to the streets in search of safety.

“There is no more hope,” said a Solino resident seeking refuge at the Office of Citizen Protection (OPC). “We can’t bear it anymore. We are forced to take to the streets.”

Another blamed the armed gangs for terrorizing their own people.

“If they [armed gangs] look in their mirror and look at us, they will see that we all look alike. I don’t see the difference,” a resident of Ruelle Anglade at an OPC shelter in Bourdon, Port-au-Prince, told local reporters on the site, requesting anonymity for his safety. 

“Revolution is not made this way. You can’t be killing people who are part of the popular masses with you and then talk about revolution,” he said, alluding to Chérizier’s “Viv Ansanm” gang coalition’s narrative, assimilating criminal activities to a revolution movement against Haiti’s oligarchy.

“What I would like to ask these armed men is what they want,” he pondered. “When you look at Delmas 6, 4, 2, Bel-Air, Ruelle Maya, Solino, it’s all one single community; we are [all families] brothers and sisters. I don’t understand what the difference is today, for them to enter the area to destroy, burn, and kill.”

Over 20,000 displaced in four days

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported over 20,000 people displaced across Port-au-Prince between Nov. 13 and Nov. 16. Many residents fled to informal refugee sites, including OPC offices, while others sought shelter with relatives or in makeshift camps.

The escalating violence has paralyzed much of the capital, with schools, banks and other crucial businesses closing their doors. Only 20% of Port-au-Prince remains accessible to humanitarian aid, according to the  IOM report.

“There is no time to waste. Every day lost is a blow to the hope of our people.”

Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé

“The isolation of Port-au-Prince is amplifying an already dire humanitarian situation,” wrote Grégoire Goodstein, IOM’s chief officer in Haiti. “Without immediate international support, the suffering will worsen exponentially.”

More isolation from the United States further complicates life. 

On Nov. 12, the American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) banned flights to Haiti until Dec. 12 after gang gunfire struck three commercial airplanes over Port-au-Prince. In response, Toussaint Louverture International Airport suspended all operations for six days, including emergency and UN humanitarian flights, further exacerbating the plight of already vulnerable communities.

Growing despair amid increasing death toll, mass displacement, limited resources and criticism of government

Residents describe the violence as senseless and devastating. 

“I don’t understand what the difference is today for them to destroy, burn, and kill,” said one resident, lamenting the destruction of homes and livelihoods.

Women and girls, already disproportionately affected by the crisis, face heightened risks. The United Nations Human Rights Office has reported nearly 4,000 deaths this year, with gender-based violence reaching alarming levels, as reported by OIM. 

According to the UN, sexual violence against women and girls is used as a weapon by gangs.

The OIM, on its part, regrets that 94% of displaced women and girls are especially vulnerable to violence.

“I lost everything except the clothes I’m wearing,” said a mother of four. “They enter our homes, loot, rob, assault, burn and kidnap.”

Haiti’s National Police (PNH), despite assistance from the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS), struggles to contain the violence. The mission, though bolstered by recent equipment arrivals from the United States and pledged reinforcements, lacks sufficient resources to secure the Haitian capital and its surrounding areas.

“The recent attacks have caused unbearable suffering for thousands of civilians,” said Nou Se Dorval, Creole expression for We Are Dorval, a local human rights victim advocacy group.

 “Passivity of the transition government in the face of this catastrophe is unacceptable.”

While awaiting a response from the government, many in the refugee camps accuse the authorities of allowing gang actions to go unpunished.

“It’s the state that put us out in Solino,” says a woman, mother of two, who managed to escape her home only with her identification papers and a blanket to sleep with her children. “I can’t speak to the state; it’s complicit. I will stay outside until they decide to take me off the streets.”

“Such a scale of displacement has not been observed since August 2023,” says OIM in its report dated Nov. 16.

Criminal groups in the capital are expanding their reach, seizing control of new neighborhoods and cutting off access to already vulnerable communities. Once rival factions, previously locked in territorial disputes, have now forged alliances to resist the counter-offensive of the PNH, whose limited resources hinder efforts to curb the escalating violence.

A new government with the same promises 

Meanwhile, authorities continue to promise stability and a resolution to the escalating gang violence. On Saturday, Nov. 16, a new government led by Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé was installed. This marks the second administration of inaugurated by the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT) in five months. Similarly to the mission shouldered by now former Prime Minister Garry Conille’s administration, Fils-Aimé’s government is tasked with addressing gang violence and restoring an environment conducive to organizing elections, necessary to put the country back on a democratic track.

Amid widespread displacement, the CPT chairman, Leslie Voltaire, called for calm during the government’s inauguration ceremony at the Villa d’Accueil in Musseau, about six miles northeast of downtown Port-au-Prince.

In his speech, Prime Minister Fils-Aimé echoed Voltaire’s call and stressed the urgency for immediate action, emphasizing that delays would only deepen the despair of Haitians forced to flee their homes in desperation.

“You bear a historical responsibility towards the nation,” Voltaire said. “Restoring security, successfully carrying out the referendum, and organizing elections are imperative duties. Act with transparency and restore the confidence the people expect. You became ministers to deliver results.”

“There is no time to waste,” the new Haitian PM added. “This government is taking office with a sense of urgency and gravity. We have no honeymoon period and no time for observation. Every day lost is a blow to the hope of our people.”

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At least 28 gang members killed in  Pétion-Ville, igniting violence and fear across Port-au-Prince was first posted on November 19, 2024 at 1:00 pm.