Residents fleeing gang violence in Haiti’s Mirebalais lament uncertain future

PORT-AU-PRINCE — At the entrance of Fort-Liberté, the main city of the Northeast Department, sorrow and uncertainty hang in the air as dozens of families take refuge from the gang attacks that have overrun Mirebalais since March 31. Forced from their homes by escalating violence, the displaced — men, women and children — carry visible signs of fear and loss.

“Many of us lost our homes,” said Elourde Joseph, a 14-year-old girl. “I don’t feel well because I keep thinking about the life I had before. I lost my friends and everything that made me happy,” she told The Haitian Times.

Joseph now finds refuge about 95 miles away from home with her parents, 27-year-old sister, 10-year-old younger brother and 79-year-old grandmother in an unfinished government building turned shelter. It’s one of several such makeshift sites now housing 14 families from Mirebalais. Life there feels unfamiliar and bleak. Like many others, she laments the reality that she may never be able to return to Mirebalais.

“I’m bored because I can’t find anything to entertain me,” she said, recalling a more stable life left behind. Her city, which once served as a refuge for many escaping the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, particularly the Cul-de-Sac Plain, is now under siege.

For nearly two weeks, Mirebalais has been under sustained attack. Armed gangs stormed the local prison and freed more than 500 inmates, including suspected arms traffickers. They shut down the main hospital and forced schools to close. The Viv Ansanm gang coalition now controls the city, pushing thousands of residents to flee.

The heavy toll on a city under gang siege

At an April 8 press conference, Delin Boyer, the Centre Department’s police director, reported that between Saut-d’Eau and Mirebalais, at least 75 people had been killed — 15 civilians, including two Catholic nuns, and 60 gang members. One officer from the Anti-Gang Tactical Unit (UTAG) also died in the clashes.

In addition, he said:

• 18 civilians and two police officers were injured.
• 12 houses and 20 vehicles were set ablaze.
• About 31,500 people were displaced.
• Over 11,000 are in temporary shelters; 20,330 are staying with families.                                            

Gangs also kidnapped several residents, including a journalist and his brother. In one video, a 400 Mawozo gang member is seen filming hostages lying face down, claiming they were affiliated with the Protected Areas Security Brigade (BSAP) and threatening execution.

Displaced and in despair

Fourteen-year-old Sendi Brunache, another displaced student, sat quietly beside her two younger brothers. “It’s sad because I find myself in a place where I don’t know anyone, and I have nothing,” she said. Her parents, once a bus driver and a street vendor, now share a single room in the same administrative complex in Fort-Liberté with another refugee.

Nearby, Judith Victore, a merchant, lamented the loss of everything she had built.

“To escape the armed gangs, I fled my home, leaving everything I had behind, worth several million gourdes,” she told The Haitian Times. “I was forced to abandon not only my house but also my means of livelihood.”

Their stories echo across the encampment: families once rooted in the community now rely on aid, unsure of what comes next. Justine Pierre, 54, fled with her daughter and son-in-law, while her three other children sought shelter in Port-au-Prince.

“The residents of Mirebalais killed a first group that came to cause trouble,” she explained, her voice trembling. “That resistance only made things worse. The gangs came back with a vengeance and plunged the city into terror.”

“The gang members have taken over several streets and now have full control of the city of Mirebalais,” said a nearby resident who asked to remain anonymous over safety concerns. “After eight days of fighting, the resistance is exhausted. We are constantly under gang fire all day long.”

This assault follows a gang attack on Terre Rouge, about 16 miles from Mirebalais, and marks a broader escalation. Violence now stretches from Carrefour-Feuille to Kenscoff — with Saut d’Eau and Mirebalais the latest targets.

Religious, health care and media organizations count victims

On April 3, the Episcopal Conference of Haiti  (CEH) condemned the killing of Sisters Evanette Onezaire and Jeanne Voltaire. “They took refuge at a neighbor’s house and were killed there with several others,” said Bishop Jean Désinord. “It feels as if the population is left to fend for itself, defenseless.”

The gang offensive also paralyzed public services. Mirebalais University Hospital evacuated staff and patients. NGO Zanmi Lasante warned of a healthcare collapse.

“HUM serves hundreds of thousands of people across Haiti. Patients will lose access to life-saving care, communities will be left without support, and years of investment and progress are at stake,” the organization stated in its alert. “If the city of Mirebalais falls, Haiti’s healthcare system is at risk of collapsing. ”

Meanwhile, the Haitian Journalists Association condemned the disappearance of journalists Jean-Christophe Collègue and Israël Roger Claudy Israël, calling for stronger press protections.

A native soccer star’s plea for peace

Even from afar, Haitian women’s soccer star Melchie Daelle “Corventina” Dumornay expressed anguish over the crisis in her hometown.

“In Haiti, violence targets innocent people, and my heart breaks every moment,” said the Olympique Lyonnais midfielder in a statement filled with despair. “In Mirebalais, as elsewhere, families are forced to flee their homes, chased out by compatriots who spread terror.”

Dumornay called for solidarity and healing: “Our aspiration is to find the path to life that we have lost, so we can rebuild a future for our youth, who have known only fear until now.”

Provincial towns under fire while the capital bleeds

As Port-au-Prince counts its dead and displaced, gangs continue pushing into provincial towns. Since unifying under the “Viv Ansanm”— Creole for “Live Together”— banner, violent armed groups have shifted strategy—from turf wars to coordinated territorial takeovers.

Kenscoff, once spared, saw 262 killed in the last two months, including 115 civilians. Nearly 200 homes were destroyed, and over 3,000 residents were displaced, according to the United Nations Integrated Bureau in Haiti (BINUH). Special Representative María Isabel Salvador described the attacks as “extremely brutal,” citing burned bodies and sexual violence.

Haiti’s security crisis now spans the capital and beyond, while the state struggles to restore order and safeguard civilians.

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