Haiti’s capital city taken hostage by violent gangs

• Residents of this bustling city have a mental map that divides it into green, yellow, and red areas.
• Human rights organizations in Haiti estimate that armed groups terrorize and control at least 60% of the capital city and its surroundings.
• This article includes graphic sexual violence that some readers may find upsetting.

Although the borders cannot be seen in Port-au-Prince, you must be aware of them. Your survival might be at stake. Rival gangs are terrorizing the Haitian capital by raping, killing, and kidnapping people at will. They use blood to mark their boundaries. You risk not returning if you step onto a gang’s territory.

Residents of this bustling city have a mental map that divides it into green, yellow, and red areas. Red is a no-go region, yellow can be safe today but fatal tomorrow, and green denotes gang-free zones. The green space is getting smaller as gangs with lots of weapons tighten their hold.

Human rights organisations in Haiti estimate that armed groups terrorise and control at least 60% of the capital city and its surroundings. They surround the city and manage the entrance and exit points. And according to the UN, between January and June of this year, the gangs killed close to 1,000 people in this country.

This article includes graphic sexual violence that some readers may find upsetting.

The Caribbean’s clear waters and lush slopes surround Port-au-Prince. It is surrounded by heat and apathy. In other spots, the trash is knee-deep, serving as a disgusting memorial to a failing nation. The last head of state was assassinated while in office; gangs govern the region around the parliament; and Ariel Henry, the US-backed prime minister, is both unelected and extremely unpopular.

As a result of the people’s overlapping crises, the state is essentially nonexistent. Acute hunger affects 4.7 million Haitians, or about half the country’s population. According to the UN, 20,000 people in the capital are experiencing famine-like circumstances. A first for the Americas, this. The deadly disease cholera is returning. But the biggest problem is armed gangs.

Here, the time is established. Peak kidnapping time is between 6:00 and 9:00 in the morning. Many people are abducted while walking to work. Between 15:00 and 18:00 in the evening, other people are targeted.

Our downtown hotel has about 50 employees who reside there since it is too risky for them to return to their homes. Here, few people venture out after dark. The building’s manager claims he never leaves.

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