In the coastal city of Haiti, approximately 50 alleged gang members lost their lives this week after an attempted attack, a government official reported on Thursday. According to Wilner René of the Haitian Civil Protection Agency, most of them were shot dead by police, but at least a dozen drowned after their boat capsized while transporting ammunition for the gangs attacking the city of Arcahaie.
René explained in a radio interview that the wave of violence began on Monday when a group of gunmen set fire to houses and cars in the town located northwest of the capital, Port-au-Prince. After running out of ammunition, the gangs dispersed to nearby areas, eventually being located by local residents and police forces.
The official warned about the continuation of the attacks and the urgent need for reinforcements for officers in the field, requesting additional support from soldiers and special police units. The group responsible for the attack has been identified as the gang coalition Viv Ansanm, also linked to other attacks in communities of Port-au-Prince in recent days.
This escalation of violence comes shortly after a UN-backed mission, led by Kenyan police, was initiated to contain the growing brutality of armed groups that control large parts of Port-au-Prince. The situation has created a humanitarian crisis, leaving more than 700,000 people homeless, with thousands of fatalities and forcing the closure of the country's main airport for nearly three months earlier this year due to insecurity.
In this context, both U.S. authorities and senior Haitian officials have expressed concern over the lack of resources and personnel in the Kenyan-led mission, urging that it be replaced by a UN peacekeeping operation.