Port-au-Prince. Police in Haiti on Monday clashed with an armed group that tried to take over one of the few communities in the capital, Port-au-Prince, that is not controlled by gangs.
The community of Solino has been under attack since Thursday, when residents called radio stations for help while fleeing their homes. Agents have taken control of several areas and continue to pursue gang members, the Haitian National Police reported in a statement.
In a video spread on social media, gang members are seen raising automatic weapons, claiming that they had seized parts of Solino and warning that anyone who is not part of a coalition of gangs known as “Viv Ansanm” will be “reduced to ashes.” .
The coalition has also attacked other neighborhoods, including Tabarre 27, and the assaults have forced more than 4,200 people to flee, according to a report from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which is part of the UN system. released on Monday.
More than 60 percent of the homeless have gone to makeshift shelters where other people left homeless due to past episodes of gang violence live. Others took refuge in a school, a church and a health center, according to the report.
The gangs that already control 80 percent of Port-au-Prince have also threatened journalists who covered the recent violence, calling them by their names and ordering their deaths.
Viv Ansanm, which means “Living Together,” was formed in September 2023 as a coalition of two formerly enemy gangs. He was responsible for large-scale attacks on public infrastructure in February, which eventually led to the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
The coalition has also joined forces to combat a UN-backed mission led by Kenyan police to quell gang violence in Haiti.
After the formation of the coalition, armed confrontations between gangs decreased by 78% from March to August, compared to the previous six months, according to a report by ACLED, a US nonprofit organization that collects data on conflicts across the country. world.
“The consolidation of the Viv Ansanm alliance has allowed the gangs to concentrate their resources on criminal activities and confront security forces, instead of engaging in internal fights,” the report says.
The report also warns that “despite the volatile relations between gang members, Viv Ansanm will likely endure as long as it continues to face the shared threat of an international security force.”
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