Police and Vigilantes Kill 28 Gang Members in Violent Port-au-Prince Operations

Port-au-Prince Update

In Port-au-Prince, Haiti, police and civilian defense groups killed 28 suspected gang members during an overnight operation. This action was part of the government’s effort to regain control over the city, which faces increasing violence.

According to AFP, gang members have been attacking various neighborhoods after a gang leader called for the resignation of the current transitional government. An AFP photographer witnessed bodies, believed to be gang members, being burned on the street as people piled tires on top of them.

Police spokesperson Lionel Lazarre reported that officers stopped a truck suspected of carrying gang members in Petion-Ville around 2:00 AM. They also intercepted a bus in the city center. The police opened fire, killing 10 people. They, along with civilian defense groups opposing the gangs, pursued the fleeing individuals, leading to a total of 28 deaths.

On November 19, the streets were quiet as police and citizens set up barricades across several neighborhoods. The UN warned that gangs were increasingly taking over parts of the city. Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherisier, a prominent gang leader, previously demanded the resignation of the transitional government.

Cherisier stated that the coalition would use all means necessary to force the government out. Meanwhile, the transitional council, made up of unelected officials, faced its own internal issues.

Hours after Cherisier’s statement, his coalition attacked several areas in the capital, including Petion-Ville, Bourdon, and Canape Vert. Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime was sworn in last week, replacing the outgoing Prime Minister Garry Conille, who was involved in a power struggle.

Gangs now control about 80 percent of the city, routinely targeting civilians, despite the presence of Kenyan-led international forces deployed to support the outmatched police. The capital has seen renewed combat in the last week as Viv Ansanm, a gang alliance, contributed to the ousting of Prime Minister Ariel Henry in February.