Over 10,000 displaced in Haiti after violence escalates north of capital

According to the United Nations’ migration agency, over 10,000 individuals in Haiti’s central department have been forced to leave their homes due to a series of gang attacks, including an incident at a hospital north of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

The Haitian police, which lacks sufficient resources, has been struggling to combat heavily armed gangs that have been gaining territory and increasing their influence over the past year. These gangs have formed powerful alliances, especially in Port-au-Prince.

In recent months, violence has escalated, particularly in regions like Artibonite and the Central Department.

On Tuesday, armed individuals launched an attack on the University Hospital of Mirebalais, one of Haiti’s main healthcare facilities. Prior to this, suspected gang members had attacked a police station in the nearby town of Saut-d’Eau.

Zanmi Lasante, Haiti’s leading private healthcare provider, expressed its condemnation of the “brutal attack” in a statement shared by local media. The statement emphasized the violation of the moral treaty that designates hospitals as neutral spaces, causing deep trauma to patients and medical staff.

Although there were no immediate reports of casualties from the attack, unverified videos on social media depicted chaotic scenes with broken windows and bullet-riddled walls within the hospital.

Violence has surged since last week when Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, the leader of the powerful G9 gang alliance, announced his intention to overthrow the government by force. He also called for a broad truce between metropolitan area gangs through a new alliance called “Living Together,” which sparked internal conflicts.

According to local media reports, late on Tuesday, a leader of a gang within the G9 alliance was killed by other alliance members near Fontaine Hospital in the capital.

The director of the hospital, Gheriane Ulysse, revealed that the government had inquired about the resources available to the hospital, expressing concerns about potential counter-attacks from local gangs. She stated, “We’re anticipating the worst” and added, “We don’t know what they’re prepared to do in retaliation.”

Last week, Cherizier expressed his support for the construction of a canal along a river that runs along the border with the Dominican Republic. This construction led Haiti’s neighboring country to completely close its border, displacing Haitian migrants back into conflict areas and raising questions about access to humanitarian aid.

Reported by Harold Isaac, Octavio Jones, and Sarah Morland; Edited by David Gregorio