A recent surge of gang-related violence in Haiti has compelled numerous individuals to evacuate their residences, leaving them dispersed along a roadway leading to the main airport in Haiti. Monique Verdieux, aged 56, fled to the highway after witnessing armed individuals setting fire to homes in her neighborhood. With her family members scattered in various directions, she expressed uncertainty about their whereabouts. Verdieux mentioned that she is currently sleeping on the street due to safety concerns preventing her return.
The conflicts between gangs erupted over the past weekend in multiple northern neighborhoods within Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, resulting in the displacement of residents towards Toussaint Louverture International Airport. Following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, gangs have seized control of 70% of Port-au-Prince, expanding their criminal activities such as looting, kidnapping, sexual assaults, and rape into rural areas. Since the assassination, Haiti has been without a president.
Over the last two weeks, prominent Haitian companies, including rum maker Barbancourt and two major bottling firms, have raised concerns about the deteriorating security conditions near the international airport in Port-au-Prince. These companies, significant contributors to Haiti’s economy, criticized the government’s inadequate response to the crisis and highlighted the challenges faced by Haitian security forces in patrolling the area due to the poor condition of the surrounding roads.
On the same day, hospitals in the Cité Soleil neighborhood of Port-au-Prince evacuated patients, and Doctors Without Borders suspended its operations in the area. The humanitarian organization reported that hundreds of residents sought shelter in its hospital, where a security guard was shot by a stray bullet. Another hospital, Hopital Fontaine, evacuated newborns from its intensive care unit, with Doctors Without Borders treating patients transferred from Fontaine.
Foreign troops associated with a UN force arrived in Haiti in April to help address the ongoing violence. The UN Security Council subsequently approved a plan in late September to deploy a 5,550-member force in Haiti, with troops from Chad being among the first to be stationed. A report by the International Organization for Migration earlier this year revealed that gang violence has displaced over 1.4 million people in Haiti, with around 200,000 individuals residing in overcrowded and underfunded locations in the capital.