20 dead, thousands flee their homes as gangs battle in Haiti
Criminal violence in Haiti worsened this week. with fighting among gangs in part of the capital chasing thousands from their homes and killing at least 20 people, including children.
Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency said the fighting began Sunday in four neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince, north of the international airport. At least a dozen homes were burned down, and many of those who fled initially took shelter in the yard of a local mayor’s office.
The eruption comes amid a spike in violence and kidnappings as gangs grow more powerful and seek to control more territory amid the power vacuum following the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moise.
The situation has angered and frustrated Haitians, who are demanding action from Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s administration, which is receiving international help to boost an underfunded and understaffed police force.
A family of eight, including six children, was among those killed since Sunday, authorities said Wednesday. Schools and businesses in the area remain closed as thousands of families with children camp in a park near a local mayor’s office.
“They need water, food, supplies,” said Jean Raymond Dorcely, who runs a small grass-roots community organization. “They had to leave with nothing in their hands.”
Haiti’s gangs are wielding more power than ever, committing killings, kidnappings and other violence in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country.
He said that the neighborhood is usually quiet and that his child often plays in the park that is now a makeshift outdoor shelter.
“I can see kids crying because they’re hungry and families don’t have anything to provide to them,” Dorcely said, adding that needs were growing as the fighting continued. “I don’t know what it’s going to be like tomorrow.”
Authorities said that along with the dead, two dozen people had been injured in the violence, and that one bullet hit an empty United Nations Humanitarian Air Service helicopter stationed near the airport.
“The conflict is likely to escalate in the coming days, leading to further casualties and new population migrations,” the Civil Protection Agency said.
In southern city of Les Cayes, people attack a small plane owned by a U.S. missionary group.
Officials warned that main roads leading to Haiti’s northern region could be cut off as a result of the fighting.
Gang violence in the Martissant community in southern Port-au-Prince already has cut off access to the country’s southern region, which is trying to recover from last year’s deadly earthquake.
The Martissant violence displaced thousands of families last year. They have spent months in overcrowded, unhygienic government shelters in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas.
The Civil Protection Agency blamed this week’s violence on a fight between the Chen Mechan gang and the rival 400 Mawozo gang. which was involved in the kidnapping of 17 U.S. missionaries last year.
News Alerts
Get breaking news, investigations, analysis and more signature journalism from the Los Angeles Times in your inbox.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
Haiti’s ombudsman-like Citizen Protection Office released a statement condemning the violence. It criticized political leaders, saying their inaction and silence had brought “a form of cynicism or contempt for human rights, particularly the right to life and security.”
The office also questioned whether the area known as Plaine du Cul de Sac was becoming another Martissant and called on authorities to fulfill their responsibility to protect citizens.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
