Haitian gang coalition spreads violence in Port-au-Prince neighborhood, setting houses on fire

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A coalition of gangs stepped up their attacks Saturday on one of the few communities in the Haitian capital not under the control of criminal groups, trying to take it over.

After a week of clashes with the police in the Solino neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, members of the gang coalition, Viv Ansanm, attacked again, setting fire to several houses, as the national police union warned that the area was almost completely under the control of gunmen.

As Saturday morning dawned, images on social media showed the neighborhood engulfed in smoke and flames. Many people were seen leaving the area with whatever they could carry. Security forces and gunmen exchanged fire not far from Solino’s police base.

“Solino and Nazon almost lost!” said SPNH-17, a national police union, on Saturday morning X. It also demanded the resignation of the authorities. Nazon, another neighborhood right next to Solino, was also attacked.

Viv Ansanm, which means “Living Together”, was formed in September 2023 as a coalition of two gang federations that were previously enemies. It was responsible for several attacks on critical government infrastructure in February that eventually led to the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

Thursday, gangs too opened fire and hit a UN helicopterforcing it to make an emergency landing in Port-au-Prince, a US airline temporarily canceling flights to the capital. Since last week, residents of Solino have called radio stations for help as they fled their homes.

In Solino, Garry Jean-Joseph, 33, blamed the police for the continued violence. “I left with nothing,” he said. “The people of Solino do not understand last night, the conspiracy of police and soldiers Live Together (Viv Ansanm).

The resident described how, at 2 a.m., a police officer in an armored car told residents to go home and that they would secure the neighborhood. However, shortly afterwards, residents could hear the gangs invading. “The police delivered Solino,” he added.

Some Haitian National Police officers have long been accused of corruption and gang work.

The attacks have displaced more than 10,000 people in the capital in just one week, according to a report released Thursday by the UN’s International Organization for Migration. More than half of those left homeless crammed into 14 makeshift shelters, including schools. The rest stay temporarily with relatives.

Gangs control 80% of Port-au-Princealthough communities like Solino have fought off attempts by gunmen to take control. As gang violence escalates in Haiti’s capital and beyond in recent days, concerns have arisen that a UN-supported mission led by Kenyan police struggling to contain the turmoil. Thousands of people have been killed or injured this year, and more than 700,000 have been left homeless in recent years.

US and Haitian officials, including Haiti’s acting president Leslie Voltaire, said the Kenyan mission was understaffed and underfunded and called for its replacement with a UN peacekeeping mission.

Earlier this year, coordinated gang attacks forced the government to close Haiti’s main international airport for nearly three months.