At least two women, including one who was eight months pregnant, were killed and 5,000 people displaced as Haitian gangs launched attacks on neighborhoods in the capital, according to Haiti’s Civil Protection agency. The violence, which has escalated in recent months, is worsening the country’s already severe humanitarian, security, and political crises.
A partial report shared with AFP revealed that the two women were killed in their homes during attacks by gangs grouped under the “Viv Ansanm” (“Living Together”) coalition in the southern Solino district. The Civil Protection report also mentioned houses and vehicles being set ablaze.
“Gangs have been targeting several districts in Port-au-Prince since the beginning of the month,” the report stated, with ongoing attacks in Solino and thick smoke rising from homes set on fire. In another assault on a school in L’Estere, gangs killed a parent and injured several children.
Earlier in October, a gang attack in Pont-Sonde claimed at least 109 lives and left over 40 injured. This violence persists despite the presence of a UN-backed multinational mission led by Kenya, aimed at supporting Haiti’s overwhelmed police force. The mission, however, is far from reaching its target of deploying 2,500 officers.
Currently, powerful gangs control 80 percent of Port-au-Prince and major roads across the country. Since January, over 3,661 people have been killed, according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The violence, along with worsening humanitarian conditions, has displaced more than 700,000 people, half of whom are children, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
