Nawal Al-Maghafi, a BBC investigations correspondent recently embedded with the Kenyan police in Haiti, discusses the overwhelming gang violence that plagues Port-au-Prince. She reveals that an astonishing 85% of the capital is under gang control, following the assassination of Haiti's president in 2021. The UN's response includes a new Multinational Security Support Mission, but its effectiveness is still in question. Personal accounts from young Haitian women illustrate how they navigate life under these dire circumstances and their hopes for a safer future.
Haiti's gang violence, exacerbated by political corruption and economic decline, deeply affects youth, leading many to seek gang membership for survival.
Despite ongoing challenges, a growing resilience within local communities reflects a shift towards advocating for self-determined solutions and grassroots initiatives.
Deep dives
The Reality of Life in Gang-Controlled Haiti
A significant portion of Haiti's population, particularly the youth, faces the daily threat of violence due to the over 85% control of Port-au-Prince by gangs. Young Haitians express feelings of isolation as many of their friends have fled the country, leaving them to navigate a landscape filled with fear and uncertainty. With communications often disrupted by gang activity, even basic tasks such as attending school online become incredibly challenging. Despite the overwhelming violence, a sense of community emerges, as residents band together to create local initiatives that help counteract gang attacks and foster solidarity among those affected.
Roots of Gang Power in Haiti
The rise of powerful gangs in Haiti can be traced back to decades of political corruption and the erosion of democratic institutions, significantly exacerbated by natural disasters and economic decline. The collapse of agriculture, once the country's main economic driver, coupled with the influx of small arms, has left many young people looking to gangs as a source of income and as a means of seeking revenge for personal losses. Gang leaders often provide young men with opportunities to support their families, highlighting the desperation that fuels gang membership. UNICEF reports a staggering 70% increase in children joining gangs, a reflection of the dire circumstances they find themselves in, as schools are repurposed into shelters for those displaced by gang violence.
Challenges and Hopes for the Future
Although Haiti's challenges are daunting, reports indicate a growing sense of determination among its youth and communities to advocate for local solutions to their problems. Many individuals are actively engaging in grassroots efforts to improve their circumstances, demonstrating resilience and a commitment to their homeland. There is a shift in public perception regarding foreign intervention, as many Haitians believe that empowering local security forces is the key to addressing ongoing violence. This desire for self-determination and community-driven change embodies a hopeful perspective, emphasizing that even in adversity, many Haitians continue to strive for a better future.
Haiti has been engulfed in a wave of gang violence since the assassination of the then-president, in 2021. Now an estimated 85% of the capital, Port au Prince is under gang control. The UN says in 2024, 5000 people died in the violence, which has left the country on the verge of collapse.
To combat the violence, the UN Security Council authorised a Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) in October 2023. Funded primarily by the US, the Kenyan-led force deployed to Haiti six months ago has been tasked with restoring law and order. But there are questions over its effectiveness.
Nawal Al-Maghafi, a BBC investigations correspondent who has recently been embedded with the Kenyan police in Haiti, explains the situation there and how the country got to this point. Widlore Mérancourt, a reporter for the Washington Post and Editor-in-Chief of the Haitian publication Ayibo, describes how Haitians view outside intervention, after years of UN peacekeeping missions.
And we hear from young Haitian women, who tell us how their lives have been affected and what hopes they have for the future.