For a few days, Port-au-Prince has been the scene of a veritable explosion of violence. Districts that have been relatively spared so far are now being attacked armed gangs. The attackers kill, rape and plunder. Thousands of families fled their homes. But places of refuge are becoming increasingly rare. And the attackers disrupt traffic by setting up roadblocks. Multiple consistent sources told Haitian agency Alterpresse that an unknown number of houses had been burned.
At least 80 hijackings were registered across the city in 48 hours, including in affluent areas of Port-au-Prince and in broad daylight. Among the victims is the inspector general of the Haitian National Police, who was kidnapped with his daughter on Friday while accompanying him to school.
On condition of anonymity, a local resident explains to RFI how normalized this type of situation is: “As soon as it’s shot, you hide and then go back to your normal life. She herself witnessed a kidnapping on Friday. “Suddenly there was a lot of shooting. The bandits arrived in their car, hooded and heavily armed. I was suddenly afraid and had a reflex to run away from the gunfire. But I saw the kidnapping. After fleeing into a building to catch her breath, she started walking again.
The gangs also attacked several police stations. The Haitian media also denounced the total inaction of the police, while thousands of residents called for help. Under the constant fire of automatic weapons, it becomes impossible for them to get food and drinking water. The Haitian capital is in chaos. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s government remains silent.
Police gangsters in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, March 3, 2023. © RALPH TEDY EROL/ Portal
Arms trade on the rise
Simultaneously, a UNODC report published on Thursday, March 2, 2023 indicates the increase in arms trafficking in Haiti. Pistols and sometimes even heavy machine guns “are now being smuggled […] in the context of rapid and unprecedented security degradation,” the report emphasizes. Most weapons come from the United States, passing through Florida first, where members of the Haitian diaspora “often take care to hide them in containers with everyday imports.”
The UN agency calls back the catastrophic situation In the country, the number of registered homicides has risen from 1,141 in 2019 to 2,183 in 2022 and the number of kidnappings from 78 to 1,359 “deplores the impact of human trafficking on the numerous crises in Haiti”.
The UN organization relied in particular on the recent increase in seizures of firearms, on reports from the secret services and on court decisions. Its assessment should help “support the Haitian people,” said Angela Me, head of analysis services at UNODC, an office based in Vienna, Austria, in a statement.
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(And with AFP)