Haiti’s Capital in Crisis: Gangs Tighten Grip as Government Faces Unprecedented Challenges

 

the heart of Haiti’s capital city, Port-au-Prince, the facade of serenity portrayed by its white-washed homes ascending steep green hills belies the harsh reality that lurks beneath the surface. Venturing onto the cracked streets demands a meticulous calculation of risk and reward.

Ruthless gangs have ensnared the city in their grasp, preying on the populace and dividing neighborhoods into warring criminal fiefdoms. The international port, a vital lifeline, stands severed from the rest of the country due to their influence.

Within this city, the most widely circulated online videos are often disturbing torture footage, strategically disseminated by gangs to instill fear and expedite ransom payments for numerous kidnapping victims. Just last month, upon landing at the Toussaint L’Ouverture airport, a CNN team was inundated with forwarded messages sharing the latest cruel footage—an unfortunate glimpse into the daily horror that defines life in Haiti. Civilian protests, frequent and impassioned, underscore a population at its breaking point. UN estimates suggest that gangs control a staggering 80% of the capital and are aggressively vying for control over the remaining territory.

The recent surge in highly coordinated gang attacks has paralyzed Port-au-Prince. Armed groups have systematically burned down police stations and released prisoners, marking a direct challenge to Haiti’s embattled Prime Minister Ariel Henry. The government declared a state of emergency on Sunday, following what appears to be the mass escape of thousands of inmates from the largest prison.

Jimmy “Barbeque” Cherizier, a former police officer who fashions himself as a Robin Hood figure in his territory, issued a statement reported by local media: “We have chosen to take our destiny into our own hands. The battle we are waging will not only topple Ariel’s government. It is a battle that will change the entire system.” Meanwhile, the whereabouts of Prime Minister Henry remain unclear after a recent visit to Kenya.

Haiti in Crisis: Calls for Change as Gangs Tighten Grip and Government Faces Public Outcry”

 

The plight of Haiti has descended into an unrelenting cycle of despair, with each passing year bringing new calamities that further erode the foundations of the embattled Haitian state. In downtown Port-au-Prince, the symbolic National Palace, still in ruins from the devastating 2010 earthquake, stands as a poignant reminder of the nation’s enduring struggles. Compounding the challenges, multiple courthouses in the vicinity have fallen under the control of gangs, marking another ominous turn in the nation’s unraveling fabric.

A growing number of Haitians lay the blame squarely on their prime minister, Ariel Henry, accusing him of consistently yielding ground to gangs over the past three years. Their frustration deepens as Henry resists organizing elections, seen as a vital step toward ushering in a new government and providing the country with a much-needed fresh start. While Henry and his allies argue that the prevailing insecurity makes a fair vote impractical, such explanations fail to assuage the rising tide of public outrage.

Recent events have seen exasperated residents taking to the streets in protest. In one Port-au-Prince neighborhood, rumors of a local police station closure triggered swift and impassioned demonstrations. The protesters, weary of their living conditions, toppled a bus and set tires ablaze, demanding the ouster of Prime Minister Henry.

Amidst the chaos, a poignant cry resonates: “Ariel Henry has to go. We are living in total precarity. We’re living on trash, on sewage. I have nothing, I’m empty. I can’t go to work, I can’t support my family, I can’t send my kids to school.”

Even within the ranks of the gangs, a palpable sense of distress has emerged. A 14-year-old gang recruit from Port-au-Prince’s Martissant neighborhood, visibly distraught, shared the harrowing realities of daily life: “I see people dying in front of me every day. The thing I hate the most is when (other gang members) kill someone, and they make me burn the body.” He recounted the recent death of a friend, also a gang member, adding, “I don’t want that to happen to me.” For safety reasons, CNN refrains from disclosing the teenager’s identity.

As the country teeters on the brink, the United Nations deputy special representative in Haiti, Ulrika Richardson, issued a stark warning during a press briefing in New York: “The sentiment on the ground is that the country cannot continue like this. The level of violence that people are exposed to is inhumane.” Haiti stands at a critical juncture, with a weary population yearning for change and an end to the prevailing chaos.

Gangs Tighten Grip: The Dire State of Port-au-Prince and the Escalating Crisis in Haiti”

The alarming reality of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, is that a staggering 80% of it is now under the control of ruthless gangs, a disturbing revelation that underscores the deepening crisis engulfing the nation. On social media platforms like TikTok and WhatsApp, accounts proudly displaying firearms and lavish vehicles boast affiliation with notorious groups such as the 5 Segond gang, 400 Mawozo (infamous for the high-profile 2021 kidnapping of foreign missionaries), and Kraze Barye, whose leader carries a nearly $2 million bounty from the FBI.

Haiti’s gangs, once perceived as tools manipulated by powerful politicians and business elites, have morphed into independent “violent entrepreneurs,” according to a recent analysis by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. In a country grappling with poverty and limited resources, these gangs exploit human lives as commodities, with UN figures indicating that they abducted at least 2,490 people off the streets last year, contributing to the burgeoning kidnapping industry.

Tragically, victims whose families cannot meet ransom demands often meet a grim fate, joining the ranks of thousands who have lost their lives to indiscriminate gunfire, waves of arson, and other abuses. Haiti’s national homicide rate skyrocketed last year, reaching 41 murders for every 100,000 people—an alarming statistic that positions the nation among those with the highest murder rates globally, as per the UN.

While Haiti’s National Police has established an aggressive anti-gang unit and achieved some success in apprehending criminals, containing gang expansion in key areas, including proximity to the US embassy, the force remains outmatched by the sheer number and firepower of the nearly 100 growing gangs in the metropolitan area. The situation is exacerbated by a mass exodus of police officers, with a staggering 1,663 officers leaving the force in 2023 alone, as indicated by UN figures. The dwindling police force further compounds the challenges, leaving Haiti teetering on the precipice of an unprecedented crisis that demands urgent attention and intervention.