Haitians are warning that the country's capital, Port-au-Prince, is about to fall completely as as armed gangs continue making advancements, displacing more residents as they overwhelm security forces.
According to the United Nations International Organization for Migration, nearly 60,000 people have fled their homes in the past month alone. The escalating violence has affected multiple neighborhoods, including Delmas, Carrefour-Feuilles, Martissant, Fort National, Pétion-Ville, and Tabarre, eroding the last remaining gang-free areas, the Miami Herald detailed.
The powerful Viv Ansanm gang coalition has intensified attacks, targeting homes, businesses, churches, and media outlets. The French Embassy in Port-au-Prince temporarily closed its doors on Friday due to its proximity to ongoing fighting, the outlet added.
Humanitarian organizations are also struggling to operate. Doctors Without Borders suspended operations at its emergency hospital in the Turgeau neighborhood on Saturday after armed groups moved within feet of the facility.
Austin Holmes, a security expert who has overseen emergency operations in Haiti, warned that gang movements suggest an effort to seize control of key government institutions, including the presidential palace and prime minister's office. Haitian forces have staged some counterattacks, but have not managed to inflict any serious damage to gangs, more recently failing to assassinate one of the country's top gang leaders, Jimmy "Barbecue" Chérizier.
Adding to the instability, a Kenyan police officer was shot on Tuesday while deployed as part of the multinational security mission seeking to aid local forces.
Meanwhile, the U.S. continued deportations to Haiti despite the worsening conditions. A flight carrying 46 deportees, including 25 convicted felons, arrived in Cap-Haïtien on Tuesday. William O'Neill, the U.N.'s independent human rights expert, reiterated calls for a halt to deportations, citing the dangers of travel through gang-controlled territories and the overall humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Haiti.
Despite the recent deployment of nearly 1,000 multinational security forces, they have been unable to stem the violence. Waves of attacks last week brought the capital to a standstill, with widespread destruction and mass displacement. Meanwhile, Haiti's political leadership remains divided, with officials more focused on internal disputes than security coordination. The worsening conditions have cast doubt on plans for a constitutional referendum in May and general elections in November.
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