Gangs tighten grip on Mirebalais after deadly raid frees 500 inmates, forcing residents to flee

PORT-AU-PRINCE —  Haiti’s National Police deployed reinforcements to Mirebalais on Monday, March 31, after armed gangs from Canaan stormed the city, freed hundreds of inmates from the local prison and clashed with police in a violent takeover that has left the city under siege.

At least 30 gang members were killed in the clashes, according to the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH). Three police officers were also injured, though their injuries were not life-threatening, a Ministry of Defense official for the Centre department told The Haitian Times.

Despite the police response, authorities say armed groups remain in the city, continuing to terrorize residents and forcing thousands to flee toward nearby towns, including Lascahobas, Belladère and Hinche.

“The bandits are still in the city,” a Ministry of Defense official for the Centre department told The Haitian Times, requesting anonymity due to the matter’s sensitivity. “Throughout the evening, people continued leaving, heading toward Lascahobas, Belladère, Thomonde, and Hinche. Many have already reached Cap-Haïtien.”

Mirebalais, a town of nearly 200,000 residents in Haiti’s Central Plateau Department, is located about 40 miles northeast of Port-au-Prince. It is home to the country’s most modern hospital—Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais (HUM)— which receives hundreds of patients from across Haiti daily. The town sits at the intersection of two main roads: one leading north from Port-au-Prince to the coast and another leading east to the Dominican Republic.

Police struggle to regain control

The attack, which targeted Mirebalais’ civil prison, freed over 500 inmates, echoing a similar gang assault in March 2024, when the “Viv Ansanm” gang coalition stormed the Port-au-Prince and Croix-des-Bouquets prisons, releasing nearly 4,000 prisoners. The gangs also raided the Mirebalais hospital, putting staff and patients at risk, and launched attacks on residential neighborhoods.

Authorities have yet to release an official death toll or a full assessment of the destruction caused.

In response, the Haitian National Police (PNH) deployed specialized units to reinforce the local police station and hunt down armed groups.

“The Haitian National Police is fully mobilized to provide a proportional response to the criminal actions of armed gangs attempting to destabilize the population,” said a police statement.

Despite these reinforcements, gangs remain active in Mirebalais, engaging in continued shootouts with law enforcement.

Warning signs ignored? The lead-up to the attack

The gangs had long threatened an assault on Mirebalais, but the attack came after heightened surveillance by authorities on suspicious vehicles and recently cleared shipping containers.

On March 10, local police arrested a dozen suspects from the Canaan, a slum located north of downtown Port-au-Prince, on suspicion of working with armed groups— notably the gang led by notorious Jeff “ Gwo Lwa” Larose. Compromising messages were found on their phones. The day before, two individuals were lynched after resisting a routine police check. Authorities also seized three assault rifles and over 10,000 rounds of ammunition.

The Departmental Delegate of the Centre Department, Frédérique Occéan, said the attack was likely in retaliation for a major weapons bust at the Belladère customs office, where authorities confiscated firearms, ammunition, money, and vehicles.

“The first place the bandits attacked was the prison, to free all the suspects we had arrested,” Occéan explained. “We knew we would reach this point, given the battle we are waging against those who sell weapons in the country and cross Mirebalais with them to go to Port-au-Prince.”

Residents flee as gangs tighten grip

Residents describe a city overwhelmed by violence. Videos of families massively exiting the town to save their lives have made rounds on social media.

“The gangs invaded us all at once,” a local resident told The Haitian Times. “There were rumors they would attack, but we didn’t know it would happen so quickly.”

Others are desperately seeking ways to get their families out. One Port-au-Prince resident, whose family remains trapped in Mirebalais, sent an SOS message to the newspaper.

“My loved ones have fled. They left completely for their own safety,” he said, urging authorities to tighten border security at Belladère, which has become a major smuggling route.

The Terre Rouge sub-police station, abandoned for over a year, was first taken over, then set on fire by the gangs who have since settled in Morne-à-Cabris, about 16 miles from Mirebalais. Residents had been warned of an imminent attack via social media ten days before the March 31 assault.

Another attack in an escalating war

This is at least the eighth major gang assault since the beginning of 2025, signaling their intent to expand beyond existing strongholds.

Among the most significant recent attacks:

• In Kenscoff (February), gangs from Carrefour, Grand Ravin, and Village de Dieu stormed the town.
• In Delmas 30 and Delmas 19 (March), gangs advanced despite police resistance, targeting the Christ-Roi district.
• In Artibonite, a Kenyan police officer was ambushed and killed.
• In Léogâne, Morne-à-Cabris, Carrefour Feuille, and Pétion-Ville, attacks have become routine, forcing thousands to flee.

According to available data, at least 150 civilians, including newborns, have been killed in recent months. Three Haitian law enforcement officers were shot dead, and three more were wounded, in addition to casualties and fatalities in the ranks of the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS).

Next steps: Can Mirebalais be secured?

With over one million Haitians displaced by gang violence, the situation in Mirebalais highlights the urgent need for coordinated action. While the government has promised a security crackdown, little progress has been made in preventing further gang expansion.

Experts suggest three immediate priorities:

1. Stronger border controls – Weapons smuggling via Belladère and other routes must be curbed to limit gang firepower.
2. Permanent police presence – Mirebalais and other at-risk areas need sustained police reinforcements, not just emergency deployments.
3. Community engagement – Residents and local brigades should be equipped to assist in securing their neighborhoods.

Until meaningful action is taken, Mirebalais—like many parts of Haiti—remains under gang threat, with no clear end to the violence in sight.

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