Battle of Port-Au-Prince (2024) [1] | |||||||
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Part of the Gang war in Haiti and the Haitian crisis (2018–present) | |||||||
Map of Haiti | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Revolutionary Forces of the G9 Family and Allies | Haitian security forces Armed civilians | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Jimmy Chérizier Guy Philippe | Ariel Henry Michel Patrick Boisvert | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
38 dead, [3] 15,000 homeless, 362,000 displaced [4] [5] [6] [7] |
Amid the unrest in Haiti since 2018, armed gangs stormed Haiti's two largest prisons in March 2024, resulting in more than 4,700 inmates escaping. The gangs demanded that prime minister Ariel Henry resign, attacking and closing Toussaint Louverture International Airport and preventing Henry from entering the country. The Haitian government declared a 72-hour state of emergency and a nighttime curfew in Ouest Department in an attempt to curb the violence and chaos. On 12 March 2024, Henry indicated his intention to resign as prime minister in response to the deteriorating security situation. [8]
Haiti has been undergoing a crisis since 2018, including political assassinations and a gang war since 2023.
On 1 March 2024, Haitian prime minister Ariel Henry signed an agreement in Nairobi, Kenya attempting to allow the deployment of 1,000 Kenyan police officers to Haiti. [9]
Jimmy Chérizier, the leader of the "G9 Family and Allies" gang in Port-au-Prince, released a video announcing his intention to prevent Ariel Henry from returning to Haiti with the operation. On 1 March, when asked if it was safe for him to return to Haiti, Henry shrugged. [10] Chérizier apparently had the backing of some other gangs as part of a coalition named "Viv Ansanm", Haitian Creole for "living together". Though that coalition was quick to dissolve, other gangs launched attacks, together with Chérizier's G9 gang. [11]
On 2 and 3 March, armed gangs stormed the two largest prisons in Haiti, one in Croix des Bouquets, the other in Port-au-Prince. [12] More than 4,700 inmates escaped. [10] Police were reported to be undermanned and outgunned by the gangs, with only 9,000 operating in Haiti at the time of the fighting. [13] The 400 Mawozo gang operates in the Croix-des-Bouquets area and has influence at its prison, according to Insight Crime. [14] Chérizier, who took responsibility for the surge in violence, said his goal was to capture Haitian government officials, including the police chief. [15] Over 12 people have been killed in the conflict. [12] The UN estimated that 15,000 people fled the violence in Port-au-Prince. [15]
The Haitian government, under finance minister Michel Patrick Boisvert, declared a 72-hour state of emergency and a nighttime curfew in an attempt to curb the violence and chaos. [16] Chérizier claimed responsibility for the increase in attacks, and demanded Henry's resignation, adding that the goal of the increase in attacks was to capture important government officials, including the police chief. [9] Many escaped gang leaders joined the attacks, [17] fueling speculation that an alliance between rival gangs in the Haitian gang wars was forming to overthrow the Haitian elite. [18]
On 4 March, at around 1 p.m. local time, armed gangs attacked the heavily fortified Toussaint Louverture International Airport, exchanging gunfire with police and the Haitian Armed Forces, in an attempt to take control of the facility after rumors that Henry would return to Haiti. [19] Johnson André, the leader of the 5 Seconds gang, appeared to be linked to the attacks. [10] The attacks resulted in the closure of the airport and prevented Henry from entering the country. [20] Other riot leaders, including Guy Philippe, indicated that they would try to take over the presidency of Haiti. [21] The Stade Sylvio Cator [22] [23] and national bank [24] were attacked. Other public institutions, including schools and banks, were closed. [25]
There was another reported jailbreak on 5 March, leading to the death of three inmates. Haitian police were able to stop attempts at escape. [26] [27] [ better source needed ] On 6 March, a police station in Bas-Peu-de-Chose was attacked and burned down by gangs. [28]
On 7 March, the state of emergency in the Ouest Department, including a nightly curfew and bans on protests, was extended from three days to a month (3 April). [28]
On 8 March, gangs attacked two police stations near the National Palace, [29] as well as the palace itself, [30] and burned down the interior ministry. [31] The security perimeter around Toussaint Louverture International Airport was breached by gangs, while gunfire was heard throughout Port-au-Prince. [32]
On 9 March, gangs attacked and occupied the headquarters of the Institute of Social Welfare in Port-au Prince, while the government of the Dominican Republic announced plans to evacuate its officials and citizens from Port-au-Prince. [33]
On 21 March, one of the gang leaders, known only as Makandal, was killed by the bwa kale in Petion-Ville. [34] A day later, Ernst Julme, the leader of Delmas 95 who had escaped from prison earlier in the month, was killed by police in the same area. Julme's death was described as a significant setback for Cherizier in his attempts to take over Port-au-Prince. [35] [36]
Port-au-Prince is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 1,200,000 in 2022 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is defined by the IHSI as including the communes of Port-au-Prince, Delmas, Cite Soleil, Tabarre, Carrefour, and Pétion-Ville.
Toussaint Louverture International Airport is an international airport in Tabarre, a commune of Port-au-Prince in Haiti. The airport is currently the busiest in Haiti and is an operating hub for Sunrise Airways.
Delmas is a commune in the Port-au-Prince Arrondissement, in the Ouest department of Haiti. Delmas itself is an urban continuation of the capital city. Delmas is also the location of much of the area's commercial and industrial enterprise.
The timeline of rescue efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake of 12 January 2010 involves the sequence of events in the days following a highly destructive 7.0 Mw earthquake with an epicenter 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of the nation's capital, Port-au-Prince. With at least 70% of the city's buildings destroyed, the earthquake also caused damage and loss of life in other parts of the country. The Haitian government experienced a near-collapse and affected people were left mostly to their own resources until foreign aid arrived in the following days. Initial death toll estimates ranged between 50,000 and 200,000.
On 13 November 2018, a massacre began within the La Saline slums of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. According to reports, at least 71 civilians were killed over a 24-hour period. It is alleged that the killings were either due to local gang wars or the actions of Haitian officials attempting to quell anti-corruption protests.
Protests began in cities throughout Haiti on 7 July 2018 in response to increased fuel prices. Over time, these protests evolved into demands for the resignation of Jovenel Moïse, the then-president of Haiti. Led by opposition politician Jean-Charles Moïse, protesters stated that their goals were to create a transitional government, provide social programs, and prosecute allegedly corrupt officials. From 2019 to 2021, there were massive protests calling for the Jovenel Moïse government to resign. Moïse had come in first in the 2016 presidential election, for which voter turnout was 21%. The 2015 elections had been annulled due to fraud. On 7 February 2021, supporters of the opposition allegedly attempted a coup d'état, leading to 23 arrests, as well as clashes between protestors and police.
Events in the year 2021 in Haiti.
Ariel Henry is a Haitian neurosurgeon and politician who served as the acting prime minister and de facto head of state from 20 July 2021, after the assassination of Jovenel Moïse, until his formal resignation on 24 April 2024. He had also served as the acting Minister of Interior and Territorial Communities from 14 November 2022 until his resignation.
Jimmy Chérizier, nicknamed Barbecue, is a Haitian gang leader, former police officer, and warlord who is the head of the Revolutionary Forces of the G9 Family and Allies, abbreviated as "G9" or "FRG9", a federation of over a dozen Haitian gangs based in Port-au-Prince. Known for often making public appearances in military camouflage and a beret, he calls himself the leader of an "armed revolution". He had close connections with the Haitian Tèt Kale Party and was closely allied with Haitian president Jovenel Moïse until his assassination in 2021. Considered the most powerful gang leader and war criminal in Haiti, he is also currently believed to be one of the country's most powerful figures. He is believed to be responsible for numerous large-scale massacres against civilians in the Port-au-Prince area.
The 400 Mawozo gang is the largest gang in Haiti, mainly based in Ganthier and in Port-au-Prince's Tabarre and Pétion-Ville. It largely consists of deportees, former leaders of opposition groups, former smugglers and police officers. In 2022, it aligned itself with "G-Pep" after its leader was extradited to the United States. It came to international attention in October 2021 when it kidnapped U.S. citizens acting as missionaries in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
In July 2022, an outbreak of gang violence occurred in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, leaving 89 people dead and over 74 injured.
Events in the year 2022 in Haiti.
The socioeconomic and political crisis in Haiti has been marked by rising energy prices due to the 2022 global energy crisis, as well as protests, and civil unrest against the government of Haiti, armed gang violence, an outbreak of cholera, shortages of fuel and clean drinking water, as well as widespread acute hunger. It is a continuation of instability and protests that began in 2018.
Since 2020, Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince has been the site of an ongoing gang war between two major criminal groups and their allies: the Revolutionary Forces of the G9 Family and Allies and the G-Pep. The Government of Haiti and Haitian security forces have struggled to maintain their control of Port-au-Prince amid this conflict, with gangs reportedly controlling up to 90% of the city by 2023. In response to the escalating gang fighting, an armed vigilante movement, known as bwa kale, also emerged, with the purpose of fighting the gangs. On 2 October 2023, United Nations Security Council Resolution 2699 was approved, authorizing a Kenya-led "multinational security support mission" to Haiti.
Events in the year 2024 in Haiti.
The political history of North America in the 2020s covers political events on the continent, other than elections, from 2020 onwards.
Michel Patrick Boisvert is a Haitian civil servant and politician who has served as the interim Prime Minister of Haiti since 25 February 2024. The Transitional Presidential Council, inaugurated on 25 April, has the power to replace him. Boisvert has served as Minister of Economy and Finance since 2020, initially in the cabinets of Joseph Jouthe, Claude Joseph, and Ariel Henry. Boisvert previously served as director-general of the Ministry of Economy and Finance from 2018 to 2020. Amid the February–March 2024 escalation of the Haitian crisis, Boisvert has served as acting prime minister, overseeing the operations of Henry's government during his absence from the country. Following Henry's formal resignation on 24 April 2024, Boisvert continued to serve as acting prime minister of Haiti.
The Revolutionary Forces of the G9 Family and Allies is a federation of 12 gangs led by former Haitian police officer Jimmy "Barbecue" Chérizier, notorious for extrajudicial massacres. The G9, along with other affiliated gangs, controls over 80% of the capital Port-au-Prince.
Ernst Julme, known as Ti Greg, was a Haitian gang leader. He was reportedly the head of the Delmas 95 gang.
The Transitional Presidential Council is a temporary body constituted on 12 April 2024 and sworn in on 25 April to exercise the powers and duties of the President of Haiti either until an elected president is inaugurated or until 7 February 2026, whichever comes first. Prior to the announcement of Ariel Henry's resignation and the inauguration of the TPC, Michel Patrick Boisvert was named interim prime minister by the Council of Ministers. On 30 April, Edgard Leblanc Fils was named president of the TPC, and Fritz Bélizaire was designated as the prime minister by a majority, although the latter choice was contested within the council.