Haiti has always experienced violence by gangs, but at the start of 2024, violence has increased throughout the country up to 53% compared to the last three months of 2023. According to the UN, more than 2,500 people have been killed,kidnapped,or injured since the start of January.
Political leaders in Haiti have used gangs for decades as tools for exercising power and for other illegal reasons. Since Haiti doesn’t have a standing army or a well-funded national police force. Political leaders have relied on local gangs and armed civilians. This can be seen when Haitian President Francois Duvalier (1957-1971) created the first paramilitary called the Tonton Macoute.
They acted as his personal guard and secret police serving as a counter army. They would help enforce Duvalier rules through massacres, assassinations and causing political violence. By 1961 the Macoute was twice as large as the army that was still left.
After Duvailer left office they countied to support other political leaders and their administrations and would later go their own way and it would be the bases of notorious gangs in the country.
Haiti, one of the poorest countries of the world, had a difficult time trying to overcome economic hardships when the country experienced earthquakes in 2012 and 2021. The country never fully recovered from the aftermath of the earthquake and left many homeless.There is still some rubble from the earthquake in Haiti.
There are a lot of events in Haiti’s history, apart from their political history, and many other factors that contributed to the increase in violence, one of the main events that has led to the increase of violence is the assassination of elected President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
Mr. Ariel Henry, the prime minister under Moïse, assumed power, and got support from several other nations for this new change of leadership. As time passed by, Haiti failed to hold elections multiple times, upsetting many people with the constant postponements.
Mr. Henry said the reason why there were always postponing the elections is because of “logistical problems or violence.” Henry announced last year that elections would be postponed again and would be taking place in 2025. Protests rang out at Port-au-Prince (Haiti’s capital) with thousands of Haitians gathering and demanding that Henry step down from his position.
Many gangs that were active at the capital before the protest, accelerated the violence and clashed with police. On March 11, Henry said that he will resign after the establishment of a transitional government. This comes after Henry was locked out of Haiti because gangs were trying to take over Port-au-prince main airport. And because of international pressure to control the violence that was happening in the country.
After the announcement that Henry made , the violence that seemed “worse” got “worser” for Haitians as gangs started kidnapping at a high rate ,attacking police stations, gangs blocking roads that led in and out of Haiti,hospitals vandalized,blocked the country’s international ports from the country and broke into Haiti’s two biggest prisons freeing many inmates.
According to the UN from an articled released in March,a total of 5.5 million Haitians needed assistance, more than three million of them children that face food insecurity. In addition, 45 percent of Haitians do not have access to clean water.
Thousands of Haitians have fled their homes,causing some to set up makeshift homes and others go into other parts of the country or in buildings. Others don’t go outside their homes because of the fear of being kidnapped as the increase of kidnappings by gangs has made many people scared as videos of kidnapped people of being tortured spread throughout the country. Many gangs hold people hostage and demand ransom money for their release.
We now wait for the news of a new leader in Haiti.
