From bloody attacks to donations in schools: How gangs plan to gain power in Haiti

On the streets of Solino, an impoverished neighborhood in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, silence reigns supreme after last week’s violence, when the armed group Viv Ansanm forced a mass exodus of its residents. The area now lies empty, strewn with rubble. Residents were still grappling with the devastation and uncertainty left by the attacks, when the gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, better known as Barbecue and the leader of Viv Ansanm, arrived six blocks from the neighborhood. Escorted by heavily armed men, he distributed school bags to children at a local school.

This act exemplifies the stark contradictions in Haiti — a nation where gangs simultaneously provide aid to impoverished communities to garner favor and perpetuate violence that displaces thousands and paralyzes the country’s institutions. Marcial Pierre, a neighbor who witnessed Barbecue distributing the aid, still remembers with surprise what happened that morning: “Seeing him arrive with so many armed men was terrifying. He brought backpacks, but we had already lost our homes. There is no way to forget what we have experienced,” he says. Pierre, like many in Solino, had to leave his home due to the constant threats and clashes with armed gangs and the glaring absence of state protection.

While the plight of the displaced received little media attention, images of children receiving backpacks from Barbecue quickly circulated in local media, eliciting a mix of reactions. For some, this gesture signals a strategic attempt by gangs to gain legitimacy amid the escalating insecurity. “They win people over with gifts, but we all know what they really want: greater control, especially in the most vulnerable neighborhoods in the capital,” explains Jean-Louis Bélizaire, a young resident of the area.

In a makeshift camp on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, Marie Dorléus, a mother of three, shares her experience. “We were told that if we didn’t leave [Solino], we wouldn’t live to tell the tale. We ran away without knowing where to go. It’s hard to be here, far from what was once my home,” she says, watching her children play in the mud as they try to adapt to the conditions of the camp.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), over 20,000 people were displaced in just four days last week, with Solino among the hardest-hit areas by Viv Ansanm’s violence. In total, more than 700,000 Haitians have been displaced this year, according to the U.N. Many of the displaced face dire conditions, with limited access to basic services. Pregnant women, children, and the elderly are particularly vulnerable.

“We sleep on the ground, sometimes without food. The rains have ruined our few belongings,” says Clémence Auguste, another displaced resident. In the makeshift camp, the living conditions are only getting worse. And despite government promises of assistance, many are yet to receive any aid.

‘Bwa Kale’, the self-defense movement regains strength

Meanwhile, in other areas of the capital, such as the residential area of Canapé-Vert or the once well-off neighborhood of Pétionville, the population has begun to take measures to resist the pressure of the gangs. On Tuesday, residents of these areas who make up the self-defense movement known as “Bwa Kale”, supported by the Haitian National Police (PNH), directly confronted the gangs that were attempting to push into their neighborhoods.

“We cannot continue to allow them to terrorize us. If we do not defend our neighborhoods, no one will do it for us,” says François René, a member of a local self-defense group. The clashes have resulted in the deaths of at least 35 gang members, whose bodies were burned by residents in a symbolic act of resistance. Law enforcement recovered several weapons used by the attackers.

“We have lost too much. If we don’t defend ourselves, no one will do it for us,” says André Paul, a shopkeeper in Canapé-Vert who was forced to close his store due to the unrelenting violence. For many, the collaboration between the Bwa Kale movement and the police represents one of the few effective responses to the gangs. However, even these efforts have not yet provided the enduring peace residents desperately seek.

Meanwhile, Barbecue, the leader of the armed group Viv Ansanm, issued new threats against the Haitian government. In a Tuesday interview with local media, he vowed to dismantle the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT) unless the government initiated dialogue with his group. “They think they can stop us, but all the helicopters in the world won’t be enough. The gangs are here to stay,” he said defiantly.

Violence in Haiti escalated sharply after the inauguration of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé on November 11. Since then, economic and social activity in the capital has ground to a halt. “We cannot work; there is no security. Every day is a struggle to survive,” says Michel Lafontant, a taxi driver whose livelihood has been destroyed by the insecurity and collapse of activity.

Haiti’s economy, already battered by years of political instability and crisis, is now reeling further from the relentless violence. The country is facing one of the most difficult periods in its recent history.

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