On 19 November Lionel Lazarre, deputy spokesperson for Haiti’s police (PNd’H), told the media that at least 28 suspected gang members had been killed by PNd’H officials and residents in Pétion-Ville, a wealthy Port-au-Prince suburb.
Analysis:
The violence followed threats by prominent gang leader Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Chérizier, who heads up the Viv Ansanm united front of gangs, reportedly made in video clips posted on social media, to attack Pétion-Ville. The Miami Herald cites him as threatening to target hotels in the area “habouring politicians”. The Herald and other media also cite Chérizier as calling for the resignation of the transitional presidential council (TPC), which was established in April following Viv Ansanm’s unprecedented attacks in February, which ejected former prime minister Ariel Henry (2021-2024). The violence again illustrates the uphill battle facing authorities in their struggle to regain control of Port-au-Prince (of which 85% is estimated to be controlled by gangs), and the limits of the multinational security support mission (MSS) to Haiti, the first deployment of which arrived in June. It comes amid other signs of escalating violence that saw the capital’s main airport recently shuttered after aircraft were hit by bullets, and amid political turbulence at the top after the TPC recently ejected Henry’s interim replacement Garry Conille, replacing him with Alix Didier Fils Aimé.
- According to press reports, the Pétion-Ville violence began when two trucks transporting suspected gang members entered the suburb. According to the same reports, residents teamed up with the PNd’H to repel the suspected gang members, in what is the latest sign of the so-called ‘Bwa Kale’ vigilante movement which emerged in May 2023.
- Also yesterday, international NGO Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which has been in Haiti for over 30 years, announced it was suspending activities in Port-au-Prince until further notice, citing a “series of threats by police forces against MSF staff”.
- Yesterday United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres issued a statement expressing alarm regarding the escalating violence, reiterating his “pressing call” to ensure the MSS “receives the financial and logistical support it needs to successfully implement its mandate”.
Looking Ahead: Guterres’ call comes as the UN Security Council (UNSC) is reportedly due to discuss today (20 November) whether to transform the MSS into a formal UN peacekeeping operation. The proposal, which would unlock more resources, was previously floated within the UNSC but rejected by Russia and China. The escalating violence could force the UNSC to reconsider.