As gangs escalate violence, masses living in Haiti’s capital flee their homes

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Scores of residents fled an ongoing conflict Thursday between gang members and police in one of the few neighborhoods in Haiti’s capital that has not yet been completely taken over by gangs. Violence flares amid political turmoil.

Families frantically packed beds and furniture into cars and carried their belongings over their heads as they left the Solino neighborhood, one of several areas in Port-au-Prince where Viv Ansanm’s gang coalition and police have locked down. There have been violent clashes over the past few days.

“We barely escaped,” said Jean-Jean Pierre, 52, who carried his son in his arms and fled the neighborhood with crowds of people. “I’ve spent 40 years of my life here and I’ve never seen it this bad.”

Violence broke out in the capital on Sunday when the interim council formed to ensure democratic order in Haiti dismissed the interim prime minister due to political conflicts. The Caribbean nation has not held an election since 2016, largely due to gang violence.

The U.N. International Office for Migration has reported that more than 4,300 people have fled their homes in Port-au-Prince and neighboring towns since Sunday, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters at the U.N. in New York on Thursday.

Gangs such as the Viv Ansanm coalition often take advantage of moments of political chaos to seize power, such as the one seen in Solino in recent days.

Gangs also largely shut down the country’s main airport on Monday, opening fire on several planes and wounding a flight attendant. The United Nations said 20 armed clashes were documented in Port-au-Prince in just one day. The UN estimates that gangs control 85 percent of the city.

A UN-supported mission Led by Kenyan police The violent incidents sent to suppress the gangs could not be suppressed.

The escaped father, Pierre, said that he did not see the presence of a UN-supported mission in his neighborhood and that he and his family did not know where to go. Other residents said gang members forced them out of their homes and burned their belongings.

“These gangs are stronger than the police,” Pierre said.

Spokesperson Dujarric said the United Nations was mobilizing aid.

He said that in the past two days, the UN children’s agency UNICEF had provided cash to about 1,500 people in displaced areas in the capital, and UN population and migration agencies had set up mobile health clinics and provided clean water. As of Thursday, the UN World Food Program had distributed food to more than 50,000 displaced people in Port-au-Prince, he said.

“WFP has also provided cash to nearly 100,000 people across Haiti and is distributing daily meals to 430,000 children in 2,000 schools across the country,” Dujarric said. he said.

The country’s new interim prime minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, has remained largely silent on the violence since she was sworn in on Monday, but on Wednesday she issued a statement condemning the plane attacks. His office said he had ordered police to regain control of the airport and nearby areas.

Meanwhile, videos on social media show smoke rising from the Solino area while gunshots have been echoing in the streets of the neighborhood in recent days.

Although it was not immediately clear how many people fled the violence in Solino, much of the neighborhood appears to have been evacuated.

Neighborhood residents said gang members killed a police officer known as a community leader fighting against gangs. This murder was also reported in local media, but The Associated Press was unable to confirm the death with authorities.

In October, the same gang coalition launched a similarly violent attack on the Solino neighborhood, setting homes on fire and many fleeing with whatever they could carry or calling radio stations to ask for help.

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Megan Janetsky contributed to this report from Mexico City.

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