Haiti's path to destruction

Violent crime has dominated Haiti for over a year since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021. His successor acting President Ariel Henry has been criticised by his people for doing very little to combat Haiti’s criminal gangs. Between January to May this year, at least 780 people have been killed in the country.

 

Credit: BBC News.

By: Derry Salter.

On 29 April, gang members seized a Dominican diplomat, Carlos Guillén, whilst he was at the Dominican embassy in Port-au-Prince. The Dominican Republic urged Haiti to do everything possible to ensure the safe release of its diplomat. Luckily, the diplomat was freed only four days later.

 

The 400 Mawozo gang was thought to be behind the kidnapping and are infamous for demanding high ransoms after kidnapping foreigners. In October 2021, the gang abducted 16 US citizens who were part of the NGO Christian Aid Ministries and demanded a ransom of $1 million each. The east of the country’s capital, the Croix-des-Bouquets area, is dominated by 400 Mawozo, the largest criminal gang in Haiti. In May, at least 20 people were killed and hundreds of families displaced after clashes broke out between 400 Mawozo and its rival gang, Chen Mechan.

 

Sadly, it’s not just foreigners that are the victims of the gang control in Haiti as Haitians are consistently the main victims. In 2021 alone, more than 1,200 people were kidnapped. Unicef also warned that half a million children have lost access to education in Haiti due to gang violence, with 1,700 schools closed in Port-au-Prince in May due to gang shoot-outs.

On 7 July, tensions boiled over in the capital and at least 300 people were killed in the few weeks of gang warfare. Two criminal alliances G9 and G-Pèp turned on each other by fighting for control for the Cité Soleil neighbourhood. Just over half of those killed were gang members, the others were mere citizens caught in the crossfire. Local residents were under siege and lacked water, food and fuel. Fuel deliveries were halted for security reasons during the violence, but citizens staged a protest by burning tyres in the streets to force the government to restore the supply of petrol.

On 15 July, the United Nations Security Council extended the mandates of United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti until July 2023, which saw an increase in the number of security officials in the country. This move barely dented the growing gang violence in the country.

A week or so after the violence, the UN security council voted unanimously on banging some weapon sales to Haiti. The UN wanted a full embargo on weapon sales, however, China rejected this motion. Therefore a ban has only prohibited the sale of small arms, light weapons and ammunition alongside some travel bans and asset freezes for Haiti’s gang leaders.

Three weeks since the violence began in Port-au-Prince and the warfare continued with gang members engaging in fierce gun battles with each other and the police. The city’s cathedral was up in flames as citizens desperately took shelter from the violence. Inmates at the National Penitentiary broke out as gunfights raged nearby, adding another worrying level to the chaos.

On Sunday 24 July, the Assembly of God was packed with 400 parishioners celebrating Sunday mass when a group of gunmen stormed the church and killed a Police Inspector. Churchgoers hid under pews as the bullets rained from above. Later that evening, 400 Mawozo shared a video threatening to kill everyone in the Inspector’s policing unit. The police had quickly become the targets.

Officers in the area are understaffed and outgunned by gangs. They earn £82 a month on average and are demanding the government lend them more support and equipment. Some believe that the Haitian police can solve the gang crisis, but it’s clear that the situation has risen out of control.

On 18 September, acting President Henry finally called for calm after days of protests against the government. Earlier in the week, two journalists were shot dead and set on fire in the outskirts of the capital in more gang violence. The citizens of Haiti demand change. Protesters have demanded Prime Minister Henry resigns after the months of gang warfare and absurd petrol and diesel prices. Inflation has risen to its highest level in a decade with 40% of the country relying on food assistance to survive. The capital is a ghost town with gang violence leaving hundreds dead.

Two months later and the ammunition ban has barely made a change to the gang warfare. The Caribbean country ahs recently seen a surge of high-powered weapons throughout September, with a worrying amount of illegal weapons shipped from Florida to Haiti in the past few weeks.

The country’s capital is still lawless with innocent residents losing their lives in the crossfire. Haiti still remains in the shackles of gang warfare and will do so until international aid steps in.