Gangs Take Over Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI: Haiti’s surge in gang violence has led more than 53,000 to flee the capital in less than three weeks. Haitians who can are trying to flee the country. Violent gangs have taken over much of the capital, killing thousands, and forcing millions into hunger. Police in Haiti say two men were hacked to death by a mob who thought they were buying ammo for gangs. The southern region already hosts more than 116,000 Haitians who previously left Port-au-Prince. The exodus from the capital of some 3 million people began shortly after powerful gangs launched a series of attacks on government institutions February.
Above they tried to burn down the airport. Gunmen have burned police stations, opened fire on the main international airport that remains closed and stormed Haiti’s two biggest prisons, releasing more than 4,000 inmates. More than 1,500 people have been reported killed up to March 22, and another 17,000 have been left homeless. “For the first time, we are facing a crisis where nothing works, where the government is simply not functioning,” adding that food and power supplies have collapsed. “Everyone is afraid and leaving the country.” The airport and maritime ports at Port-au-Prince have been closed for a month due to gang activity, although the airport in the northern city of Cap-Haitien restarted flights to Miami last week, prompting many who are able to try to leave. Below, a hugely populated area of Haiti.
Neighboring countries have bolstered border security measures, including the Dominican Republic, the only country that shares a land border with Haiti and which has ruled out refugee camps on its territory and deported tens of thousands. Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez said that some 10,000 military personnel had been deployed to its nearly 400-km (250-mile) border, at a “heavy burden” to the national budget and disrupting cross-border trade. Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced his resignation on March 11. Haiti has no elected representatives and has descended into a state of anarchy as gangs expand their near-total grip on the capital. Soldiers from the Bahamas and Belize travelled to Jamaica last month for training by a Canadian task force.
