This Thursday, February 29, 2024, Port-au-Prince and several areas in the metropolitan area were in turmoil. Heavy gunfire was heard in several places, a situation which created a wave of panic among the population. According to information collected by our editorial staff from the Hospital of the State University of Haiti, several people were shot. A reliable source confirmed to us that more than twenty people, affected by projectiles, were received for treatment.
Very early in the morning of this Black Thursday, heavy gunfire was heard almost everywhere in the capital. While Vitelhomme Innocent and the “Kraze baryè” gang attacked the National Police School in Frères, armed individuals besieged and burned down the Portail Léogâne sub-police station. Faced with this unexpected and violent eruption of gangs, the police seemed to be taken by surprise. With the exception of Champ-de-Mars where police officers aboard an armored vehicle operated against the gangs near the Faculty of Law and Economic Sciences of the UEH, the PNH was absent.
The horror experienced by the inhabitants of the Haitian capital has put the spotlight back on the debate around PNH and its inadequacies because the people appear more and more left to their own devices. Entire families, from modest origins, were forced to abandon their homes to go to refugee camps in order to avoid being victims of repetitive gang attacks. In these hastily set up makeshift camps, disarray, fear and anguish reign…
“The authorities force us to live like animals despite our various calls for help, we have not received any assistance. We sleep on the floor. We lack everything” laments a mother accompanied by her 4 ragged and distraught children. Faced with the irresponsible behavior of the authorities, these refugees are crying out in frustration and despair. They implore the police authorities to make the necessary efforts to track down the gangs and neutralize them.
Beyond this tragedy, given the exponential rise in insecurity in the country, it is important to ask the question: who finances the armed groups which are multiplying in Port-au-Prince and in provincial towns?
More than one complains about the passivity of the international community in the face of this genocide. Some say they see the hand of foreigners in this chaos, denouncing the fact that the firearms and ammunition come from abroad, particularly from the USA. But the reality is simpler and harsher. It is up to us Haitians first and foremost to take responsibility for our misfortunes. Gangs have proliferated because we have failed to create an economy with job opportunities. Weapons are flowing in because our leaders have failed to equip and organize our customs to counter this scourge.
The people are suffering because we have not been able to form a police force equipped and trained to counter crime and protect society. We have brought to power elected officials who themselves financed armed gangs to ensure they win the next elections by force of arms. We brought to the head of state leaders who did not have the capacity to right the national boat. And often, the latter who, once in power, must fight the weapons that they themselves have previously distributed.
We need real advocacy to stop the illegal trade in arms and ammunition to Haiti. Certainly, the judicial police have on several occasions arrested citizens involved in arms trafficking. It is true that the United States has condemned several Haitians for having sent weapons and ammunition to gangs. But nothing has been done so far, despite the various legal actions taken against the traffickers, the situation is getting worse and worse. Gangs are multiplying and never lack weapons or ammunition to seize territories, steal and pillage. Faced with this alarming situation, our authorities must react quickly and put an end to illicit firearms trafficking by strengthening customs and border points.
In this regard, doesn’t the complacent behavior of the authorities prove that this traffic works in their favor? Are they in cahoots with the gangs? Are they just lax? Are they irresponsible or simply lacking the logistical and technical means to deal with criminals who are better armed? Whatever the answer, it is clear that the country is in bad shape, and the top priority in the coming months will be to restore security. Who benefits from insecurity in Haiti? To no one except the outlaws who hold the country hostage, a territory once a symbol of universal freedom.
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