Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, is now almost entirely run by gangs, just about a year since the first contingent of Kenyan police officers were deployed to restore calm in the country on June 25, 2024.
According to a report by the Financial Times, almost all of the capital is now under the gangs' control, while the interim presidential council are holed up around the affluent hillside enclave of Pétion-Ville.
Meanwhile, Haitian residents continue to grapple with the consequences of having the gangs run everything, including losing loved ones to gang hits and losing homes and even businesses.
Business owners have since had to move their businesses as displaced residents move into abandoned government buildings, where they survive in deplorable conditions.
One of the businessmen preparing to pull his family and 15 employees from the capital told the Financial Times, "They come at night to steal everything they can, setting fires to hold their positions. We are right in the middle of it."
Apart from the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission led by almost 1,000 Kenyan police officers, self-defence groups have cropped up, some led by police officers.
These groups are reportedly the only people standing between the council and total collapse, according to humanitarian groups.
Reportedly, the MSS crew are hard to come by in Port-au-Prince, where entire neighbourhoods are no-go zones despite the capital's 2.5 million population. Gang members stand guard at the entrances to such neighbourhoods, blocking any entry.
Recently, military contractors have started using drones to deploy explosives on the gangs, something that has helped a bit. To evade these attacks, however, the gangs are now blasting through walls of people's homes in contested neighbourhoods.
Although they help, the Finance Minister Alfred Métellus revealed that incorporating the drones to combat these gangs could work only if supported by 2,000 or 3,000 extra security personnel.
"Using drones is necessary, but not enough. They must be accompanied by the deployment of the security forces on the ground to take definitive control of the areas under gang control," he stated.
Meanwhile, the gangs have seemingly switched their mission from overthrowing the government to seeking recognition and a seat at the table.
Notorious gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, alias Barbecue, said in February, "We demand to be at the negotiating table. If not, we will continue to fight."
Haiti has been grappling with a humanitarian crisis since the execution of its former President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, leaving thousands dead from gang attacks. Meanwhile, the
In 2024 alone, the UN estimated that 5,600 people were murdered. 5.7 million more are expected to face acute food insecurity this month.
So far, two Kenyan police officers have been confirmed dead while carrying out security missions.
