Fed up with escalating gang violence, thousands of Haitians take to the streets | Crime News

Armed gangs control about 85 percent of the capital, Port-au-Prince, according to the UN.

Thousands of Haitians have taken to the streets of Port-au-Prince to express their anger against armed gangs that control nearly all of the capital and its surrounding areas, as well as the government’s failure to curb their influence.

Since mid-February, Haiti has experienced a resurgence of gang violence. Gangs, which control about 85 percent of Port-au-Prince, according to the United Nations, have intensified attacks in several neighborhoods previously beyond their control, spreading terror among the population.

The violent groups have united under a coalition known as Viv Ansanm, forcing more than one million people from their homes. This has led to a freeze in the economy and exacerbated widespread hunger. The gangs are also accused of extortion, mass rapes, and killings.

The transitional government, a rotating body of presidential council members appointed nearly a year ago, along with a long-underfunded and undermanned UN-backed security mission, has done little to halt the gangs’ advances so far.

Early on Wednesday, protesters erected barriers and disrupted traffic as they marched toward the offices of the Presidential Transitional Council (CPT) and the prime minister before being dispersed by the police.

They condemned the authorities’ inaction, which has failed to restore security almost a year after the creation of the CPT, established following the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

“Do you see what is happening?” protester Joseph Mackendy told the Reuters news agency during the demonstration. “Today, Haitian people will fight to be free already. We are free. Those men today cannot frighten me.”

“We can’t stand this insecurity in the country any longer,” one protester, who declined to be named, told the AFP news agency.

“It is unacceptable that we continue to lose territory. In reality, I believe that these territories are being handed over to bandits by the authorities, who are not rising to the occasion,” he added.

The protest followed a mass jailbreak in the central town of Mirebalais.

From Sunday night to Monday, gangs attacked the police station and prison in Mirebalais, a town about 50km (30 miles) northeast of Port-au-Prince, freeing 529 inmates.

This attack, along with another on the nearby town of Saut d’Eau, forced 5,981 people to flee their homes, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Many critics have alleged that the government’s poor performance in countering the gangs’ advances is linked to corruption and even collusion with the armed groups and their financial backers.

While the government has denied these accusations, Haiti’s authorities have a long history of entrenched corruption, and its judicial system has been paralyzed amid the violence.

The Kenyan-led Multinational Security Mission, which includes about 1,000 police officers from six countries and has UN support, has also been assisting Haitian police in tackling gang violence.

However, the situation continues to worsen.

“We demand the restoration of security, free movement, and the return of our children to school,” another protester, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

“Down with the bandits! Long live peace and security. If the authorities are overwhelmed by events, they must leave.”