In the early hours of a late July Sunday, Ganthier, a Haitian town approximately 40km from the capital, was targeted by one of the country’s most notorious armed groups. It’s been noted by the authorities that the town, situated on an arms trafficking route, was left devastated by the attack. By the time armoured police reinforcements arrived, the gang members had disappeared having destroyed the local police station whilst brutally torturing and murdering several townsfolk, the town’s Mayor Jean Vilonor Victor and police reported. The Mayor stated that Ganthier is now deserted.
Despite the deployment of a global security force backed by the United Nations, the gangs responsible for bringing Haiti, including its capital Port-au-Prince, to a standstill show no sign of relenting. According to experts, while there has been some improvement in selected parts of Port-au-Prince due to the international support for the Haitian police and interim government, the gangs have shifted their focus to the outskirts. Towns previously unscathed are now becoming the sites of brutal murder, abductions, and sexual violence.
Ganthier, home to 60,000 people and located on a key highway from the capital to the Dominican Republic border, exemplifies the ongoing security issue confronting Haiti’s government as they attempt to rebuild a nation torn apart by three years of violence, widespread migration and economic collapse.
Experts raised concerns that the pioneering contingent of police officers from Kenya, despite being part of the international force, tragically lack the manpower and weaponry to dismantle these potent criminal groups.
Further compounding the issue, an investigation by an anti-corruption agency has been launched into three members of the Presidential Transition Council, the administering body established in late April, responsible for preparing for national elections. Accusations have been made that government positions were unjustly allocated to coalition members. Although the council members have refuted the accusations, Haitian human rights activist Nixon Boumba commented that corruption and insecurity are intertwined, indicating for many, the situation remains unchanged.
The respected technocrat, Garry Conille, with his past experience as a high-ranking executive at the United Nations, became the new Prime Minister of Haiti in May. His appointment is a crucial step towards Haiti’s transition back to democracy, with elections set to commence next year. The Haitian nation has been embroiled in chaos since the assassination of the former president, Jovenal Moïse, in July 2021.
In efforts to bolster the beleaguered Haitian police force, 400 police officers from Kenya were deployed to Haiti in the summer. They have been mitigating a gang attack initiative which began in late February. At present, the Kenyan officers remain mainly within the confines of their base, situated at Port-au-Prince’s international airport – a US contractor-led project. The airport re-initiated its operations for commercial flights in May following a two-month halt due to violent gang activities in its outskirts.
Godfrey Otunge, the leader of the Kenyan mission, stated that their work is contributing towards a “gradual return to normality”. He recently took credit for their role in patrolling and freeing the road to Ganthier, a town under the grip of gangsters. But the mayor, Victor, mentioned the short-lived presence of the security forces and the prompt return of gang members. A video clip circulating on social media depicted a gang leader in Ganthier donning a police cap, with an abandoned police car set ablaze in the backdrop.
According to analysts, recent efforts by the Haitian police have led to an overall reduction in violence. United Nations data suggests that between March and June, gang-induced fatalities and injuries across the nation reached 1,379 – a 45% decline from the prior four months.
William O’Neill, the UN-designated human rights professional for Haiti, confirmed the significantly reduced agitation in central Port-au-Prince. Haitian police forces, bolstered by Kenyan support, have started patrolling regions of the capital which they had previously deserted, said Diego Da Rin from the International Crisis Group.
Large swaths of Port-au-Prince, inclusive of the city centre, continue to be danger zones shunned by inhabitants and businesses alike. Conille, accompanied by TV journalists and a significant police detail, attempted to visit the city’s main public hospital last month. The hospital, now derelict due to gang activities, became a hotbed of conflict forcing the team to retreat hastily.
“Immediate government action is vital to restore public confidence,” commented O’Neill, adding that people expect swift results.
For his initial measures, Conille dismissed Haiti’s chief of police and multiple high-ranking officers, pledging strong measures to recapture “gang-occupied territories, house by house, district by district, and city by city.”
However, a large chunk of the Haitian populace remains sceptical. “Promises are plentiful, but there’s no substantial progress yet,” opined Kesner Pharel, a respected Haitian economist,, noting that the capital remains isolated from the country due to gang dominance over public roads and their continuous territorial expansion.
During a recent interview with the BBC, Conille conceded that the national police force was short-staffed and the arrival of international aid was sluggish. The United Nations reports that violence in the past year has displaced at least 578,000 individuals, causing nearly half of the country’s population, about five million people, to suffer from a lack of adequate daily nutrition.
According to a recent Unicef study, over twenty-five percent of schools in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince are unable to function due to safety threats. The healthcare state in the capital remains worrisome as well, majority of the hospitals are closed following raids by gangs.
Ronald LaRoche, a doctor managing Jude-Anne hospital, a subsection of a private healthcare network, described the situation as a “disaster”, further stating “I’ve not even made a visit to our facilities to assess the damage. The government may have good intentions, but they’re incapable of handling this task.”
Benoit Vasseur, who oversees a Médecins Sans Frontières team operating mobile clinics in Haiti, stated, “We are noticing slight improvements in our security, although the situation fluctuates daily.” As the government grapples with gang-related strife, Vasseur added that his medical crews are gearing up for potentially increasing chaos, which would ultimately lead to an influx of patients.
Rameau Normil, Haiti’s newly deployed police chief, announced in an official brief that recently conducted operations led to the death of 104 “bandits” – the term often used to refer to gang affiliates.
Despite the reinforcing Kenyan troops being a positive development, their numbers fall significantly short of the anticipated 2,500 that were projected to constitute the international force. Over half a dozen nations have made promises to augment security forces further.
American diplomats have expressed uncertainty about the ultimate size of the peacekeeping force due to the constraints on resources currently available in Haiti, including accommodation at the Port-au-Prince airport.
However, the most pressing issue remains funding. Brian A Nichols, the US deputy chief of state for affairs concerning the western hemisphere, recently emphasised the need for countries to contribute generously.
The US has committed $360 million -equivalent to €330 million- of the predicted yearly cost of $600 million for the task force. However, the authorisation for the mission from the United Nations is due to expire in October. Subsequently, the US needs to secure Chinese and Russian agreement for another year’s extension.
Although the Kenyan force possesses armoured vehicles, its lack of air and maritime resources hampers its response to gang confrontations. Expert opinion suggests that the existing 400 officers stationed in Haiti urgently require reinforcement.
Keith Mines, who closely observes Haiti as the vice-president of the Latin America programme at the United States Institute of Peace, commented that the current force is considerably inadequate for the task. Mines further noted the constraints have to be accepted for now. The details about Haiti’s situation were first featured in The New York Times.
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