‘They’re all dead’: Haitians try to flee increasingly inescapable gang violence

Haitian immigrants have found themselves at the center of a political storm this fall, as former President Trump and his supporters repeatedly make unfounded claims about them. Most came to the United States to escape the humanitarian crisis in Haiti, brought on by wide-scale gang violence. Ali Rogin reports on how Haitian leaders are trying to restore the rule of law in their country.
John Yang:
Haitian immigrants find themselves at the center of presidential politics this fall as former President Trump and his supporters repeatedly make baseless claims about them. Most of them came here to escape Haiti’s humanitarian crisis brought on by wide scale gang violence. Ali Rogin tells us how Haitian leaders are trying to restore the rule of law.
Ali Rogin (voice-over):
Outside the small town of Pont-Sonde, residents try to flee violence in a country where it is becoming inescapable. The Grand Griff gang last month used canoes to mount a surprise attack against the riverfront town. At least 115 people, including young mothers, babies and the elderly, were massacred.
Silfise, Displaced Haitian (through translator):
I lost many relatives, nieces, cousins, aunts, uncles. They’re all dead. They were buried without a funeral. They dug holes and put them inside.
Ali Rogin (voice-over):
The gang had warned that it planned to target the town, leaving survivors asking why nothing was done to stop them. Haiti’s interim Prime Minister Garry Conille, visited the wounded and urged locals to trust the police.
Garry Conille, Interim Prime Minister, Haiti (through translator):
I don’t know how long it is going to take, one day or one month. The police cannot do this work alone. It needs to be done with the population, and the population needs to start to play its part. We will be very strict with the gangs to bring them to justice.
Ali Rogin (voice-over):
But that justice has proven elusive. Haiti’s roughly 12,000 police officers are outgunned. More than 150 armed gangs are sprawled throughout the country, many wielding firearms trafficked from the United States. The Pont-Sonde attack was the island nation’s latest mass slaughter in a long chapter of violence.
Since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise by foreign mercenaries, bloodshed has escalated as gangs vie for control of the country. Then prime minister Ariel Henry, who assumed power after Moise’s killing, requested that international police intervene. While he was traveling abroad in February to secure them, rival gangs joined forces. They launched an assault across the capital, Port-au-Prince, in March, attacking the airport, police stations and port facilities.
They also freed over 4,600 inmates from Haiti’s two largest prisons, several of them notorious gang leaders. Diego Da Rin is a Haiti analyst for the International Crisis Group. He says, right now, the gangs have the power.
Diego Da Rin, Haiti Analyst, International Crisis Group:
It is estimated that they exert control or influence over some 80 percent of the capital. And their strongholds are located in the most poor neighborhoods of the capital, in which the most important economic activities are also concentrated, for example, the ports and the most important industrial parks.
Ali Rogin (voice-over):
Gang violence has spread beyond the capital to the neighboring Artibonite region, the site of the Pont-Sonde massacre. This chaos spurred the international community to intervene.
This summer, forces from several countries began arriving on Haitian shores. Today, there are about 430 mostly Kenyan security personnel on the ground to help patrol the streets and protect key Infrastructure. And 600 more Kenyan police officers are expected to deploy later this month.
Prominent gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, widely known as Barbecue, commanded his men to fight back.
Jimmy Cherizier, Gang Leader (through translator):
Our names will be remembered by history as young people who took up arms to free their country. Our battle is a personal fight. We are at war. They’re not Haitian, and they’re on Haitian soil. I consider them to be invaders.
Ali Rogin (voice-over):
The U.N. says the mission is underfunded, under resourced, and has only deployed a fraction of the expected 2,500 troops.
Diego Da Rin:
They have struggled to start launching offensive operations against the gangs in their strongholds because they don’t have enough personnel and enough equipment yet to do so.
Ali Rogin (voice-over):
Gang violence and natural disasters have only exacerbated a cascading humanitarian crisis. Over 700,000 Haitians have been driven from their homes. More than half are women and children.
Jesula Saint Jean, Displaced Haitian (through translator):
Today we are on the street with nothing in our arms but our babies. We do not know where to go. I had to leave other children behind and I don’t know if anyone’s going to look after them.
Ali Rogin (voice-over):
Gang control has also squeezed the flow of food, driving up prices and causing many to starve. Rita Losandieu looks after her four and six year old granddaughters while her two sons send her money to live.
Rita Losandieu, Grand Mother (through translator):
Things are very expensive. It’s a problem to buy anything to eat. You must have a lot of money in order to just buy enough for three meals. It’s very difficult.
Ali Rogin (voice-over):
Violence has also led to the closure of over 900 schools, affecting more than 200,000 children. Garry Pierre-Pierre is the founder of the English Language Haitian Times. He says these conditions have created a pipeline to the gangs.
Garry Pierre-Pierre, The Haitian Times:
The lack of opportunities for young people to go to high school, to go to college or university is non-existent in Haiti. You have young people attracted to the gangs because it gives them a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose, and so the ranks are growing.
Ali Rogin (voice-over):
In the midst of the crisis, Haiti is trying to rebuild its government. In April, the country formed an interim government which appointed a new prime minister. And last month, they established an electoral council which is working to hold elections by 2026. They would be the first general elections held in a decade. But Haitian investigators recently accused three members of the interim government of bribery.
Garry Pierre-Pierre:
It’s holding back the country in ways that it doesn’t hurt other places because we need every dollar. And I think part of the problem is that many of these people go into politics. It’s a business. It’s a way for them to make money. It’s not about the state.
Ali Rogin (voice-over):
Meanwhile, gangs may be biding their time.
Diego Da Rin:
There seems to be a tense calm in many places that had been attacked in previous months. The gangs might exert a very important influence over the elections, controlling how people will vote in the areas that they control.
Ali Rogin (voice-over):
A different kind of threat from a familiar foe. For PBS News Weekend, I’m Ali Rogin.