Deadly Gang Attacks Sweep Central Haiti as Artibonite Region Falls Further Into Insecurity

Deadly Gang Attacks Sweep Central Haiti as Artibonite Region Falls Further Into Insecurity
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Heavily armed gangs launched large-scale attacks across central Haiti over the weekend, killing civilians and forcing mass displacement, The Guardian reported. Police issued urgent calls for reinforcements, warning that half of the Artibonite region had fallen under gang control following coordinated assaults on communities including Bercy and Pont-Sondé.

A police union, SPNH-17, said residents can no longer safely work or move through the region, calling the loss of Haiti’s West and Artibonite departments “the greatest security failure in modern Haitian history.” Most of Haiti’s police forces—along with Kenyan officers deployed under a UN-backed mission—remain concentrated in the capital, Port-au-Prince, itself largely controlled by armed groups.

Local officials in Pont-Sondé reported nearly a dozen confirmed deaths so far, including a mother and child, while survivors fled toward the coastal city of Saint-Marc. Hundreds of residents there protested on Monday, demanding decisive government action. Some vowed to defend their communities themselves, expressing frustration over the lack of security support.

Political activist Charlesma Jean Marcos said residents had warned authorities of an impending gang incursion but received no response. He urged displaced families to take shelter inside police stations and government buildings until security can be restored, noting that humanitarian aid in the area is already stretched thin.

More than half of Haiti’s population faces acute hunger, and gang violence has displaced a record 1.4 million people. The weekend assaults, blamed on the Gran Grif gang—responsible for one of Haiti’s deadliest massacres in 2024—were livestreamed on social media. UN data indicates killings in Artibonite and Centre have more than tripled compared with last year, reflecting expanding gang control amid limited law enforcement capacity.