Haiti's Capital Struggles as Gang Violence Displaces Hundreds

Hundreds of residents in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, were displaced due to a recent spike in gang violence over the weekend, leading to protests in the Cite Soleil neighborhood. On Tuesday, residents demanded government protection after witnessing killings in the area, although authorities have not yet released casualty figures. Armed gangs have maintained control of about 70% of the capital since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021, expanding violent activities into rural regions.

Medical services have also been severely impacted. Doctors Without Borders evacuated its hospital following intense clashes, and the Centre Hospitalier de Fontaine suspended operations and evacuated all patients, including 11 newborns. This humanitarian crisis coincides with the beginning of a UN-backed international security mission. The first foreign troops arrived in April, with a full 5,550-member force approved in late September, though only an undisclosed number from Chad have been deployed so far.

The gang violence has already uprooted over 1.4 million Haitians, with approximately 200,000 now living in overcrowded temporary shelters in the capital. Haiti has remained without a president since Moise's assassination in 2021, leaving the country in a state of political instability and ongoing humanitarian emergency. The situation continues to deteriorate as gang warfare persists across the nation.