Gangs prevail: In their conflict with Haitian police

• Police took a wounded civilian to the pavement as the bullets rebounded off the armoured car
• Here, within Croix-des-Bouquets, a gang-controlled area, the SWAT team of Haiti 
• Those are they, “A SWAT officer pointed to where the shooters were and said.

Police took a wounded civilian to the pavement as the bullets rebounded off the armoured car, another victim of the terrible daily shootings that blight Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, and the neighbourhood. Here, within Croix-des-Bouquets, a gang-controlled area, the SWAT team of Haiti has rammed into a gun battle that has already destroyed a public bus.

Inside the armoured car, the SWAT members frantically questioned one another, “Can you see where it came from?” It only offers a thin window onto the streets outside, which at one point appear desolate and at another time are bustling with people attempting to get away for safety.

Police claim that in the last 72 hours, they have killed a 400 Mawozo gang leader and freed six captives from their control. However, the gang has not been driven out of these streets; it is only one among many plaguing the capital.

“Can you make out the red “SMS” sign? Those are they, “A SWAT officer pointed to where the shooters were and said. He did not want to be named, like his squad, out of concern for their safety. As scores of people poured out of a side alley and into the street, he pointed down the road in the direction of a small cottage.

Over the armoured car’s loudspeaker, he commanded the gathering to disperse, “Get away.” “You are too open. It is hazardous.”

The car was told to relocate into a different position by the officer. Open up on everything that moves when we approach to the area, he instructed. Then there was a lot of gunfire between the cops and gang members.

In one of the many gang-controlled districts, there are often injuries, shooting, and panic as Port-au-Prince appears to be devolving into a full-fledged conflict between the police and more well-equipped and organized criminal organizations.

And this is a common pattern: Police explore into gang areas to demonstrate their reach, and gangs retaliate with ferocious gunfire.