Living Together: The Gangs of Haiti - Part 3: "Wake Up! The Bandits Are Coming!"

Deep Dive: Exploring Organized Crime

Part 3 - "Wake Up! The Bandits Are Coming!"

At the end of March this year, officers from the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) responded to a request for assistance when an armoured Haitian National Police vehicle became stuck in a ditch near Pont-Sondé in Artibonite. The ditch was believed to have been dug by a local gang.

As the MSS officers arrived to help, they were ambushed by armed men, allegedly from the Gran Grif gang. During the firefight, three armoured vehicles were set on fire, and one MSS officer went missing, presumed killed. This incident marked the second casualty for the Kenyans in about a month.

The MSS was deployed to Haiti to help stabilize the security situation and combat the growing power of gangs. Unfortunately, since their arrival, the MSS has faced the same challenges as the Haitian National Police: a lack of manpower, inadequate equipment, and insufficient funding. The gangs continue to maintain the upper hand.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Haiti continues to deteriorate.

In the final part of this series on Haiti, we will explore the challenges facing the Haitian National Police, the fall of beleaguered Prime Minister Ariel Henry, the rising confidence of the Viv Ansanm gang, the arrival and difficulties encountered by MSS officers, and the escalating humanitarian disaster in the country.

Speakers

Jacqueline Charles, Haiti/Caribbean Correspondent, Miami Herald.

Widlore Merancourt, Editor-in-chief for Ayibopost & reporter for the Washington Post on its Haiti coverage

William (Bill) G. O'Neill, UN Independent Expert on the Human Rights Situation in Haiti

Romain Le Cour Grandmaison, Senior Expert, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime

Sophie Rutenbar, Visiting scholar at the New York University Center on International Cooperation

GITOC Links

The GI-TOC Observatory of Violence and Resilience in Haiti

Haiti, caught between political paralysis and escalating violence - https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/haiti-caught-between-political-paralysis-and-escalating-violence/

Kenya’s High Court blocks proposal to send police support to Haiti - https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/kenyas-high-court-blocks-proposal-police-support-haiti/

Will the Artibonite massacre be a turning point in Haiti - https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/artibonite-massacre-haiti/

Gangs of Haiti: Expansion, power and an escalating crisis - https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GITOC-Gangs-of-Haiti.pdf

Violence in Haiti: A continuation of politics by other means? - https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/violence-in-haiti-politics-crime-gangs/

Additional Links

https://www.unicef.org/lac/en/press-releases/armed-violence-plunging-children-severe-acute-malnutrition-in-haiti

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/haiti-violence-hunger/

https://www.doctorswithoutborders.ca/haiti-msf-vehicles-shot-during-hospital-evacuation-amid-escalating-violence-in-port-au-prince/

https://x.com/MSF_canada/status/1902047605267296637

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/05/02/haiti-us-gangs-terrorist-organization/850f0974-2784-11f0-ae6d-e4db528eba27_story.html

https://www.foreign.senate.gov/press/rep/release/risch-mccaul-statement-on-admin-lack-of-transparency-on-us-funding-to-haiti

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/article304671816.html

https://usun.usmission.gov/remarks-at-a-un-security-council-briefing-on-haiti-15/

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/11/americas/haiti-us-blinken-security-mission-intl-latam/index.html

https://haitiantimes.com/2025/02/28/us-aid-haiti-security-mission/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPrxUJlAU54

https://www.state.gov/secretary-rubios-meeting-with-haiti-transitional-presidential-council-president-jean/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFnvv3X5MLU

https://docs.un.org/en/S/2024/554

https://www.crisisgroup.org/latin-america-caribbean/caribbean/haiti/weighing-case-new-peacekeeping-mission-haiti

https://x.com/HaitiInfoProj/status/1845527774507004405

https://north-standard.com/insights-and-resources/resources/news/haiti-civil-unrest-affecting-port-operations

https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/haiti-key-port-closed-land-access-after-gang-attacks-2024-09-26/

https://stratnewsglobal.com/world-news/haiti-port-sealed-to-prevent-gang-attacks/

https://ayibopost.com/gangs-engage-in-boat-piracy-in-haiti/

https://apnews.com/article/un-haiti-gangs-violence-escalate-food-attacks-a531646bc9744fc6f68afa5f4485c9ad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1-8D27nhDQ

https://haitiantimes.com/2025/03/26/kenyan-police-officer-killed-in-artibonite/

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj0ql5yq167o

https://haitiantimes.com/2025/02/24/kenyan-mss-officer-died-from-gunshot-wounds/

https://thekenyandiaspora.com/stories/2008/Police-troops-in-Haiti-destroy-Barbecues-home

https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2024/11/22/haitian-gang-leader-barbecue-escapes-armed-police-confrontation/

https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/barbecue-escapes-ambush-by-kenya-police-in-haiti-4835916

https://www.thestkittsnevisobserver.com/police-shootout-with-gang-in-haiti-20-gangsters-killed/

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2024-10-15/a-gang-leader-in-haiti-is-injured-in-a-shootout-with-haitian-and-kenyan-police

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3NplOt4VRM

https://halifax.citynews.ca/2024/10/26/gang-coalition-in-haiti-spreads-violence-to-port-au-prince-neighborhood-setting-fire-to-homes/

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/K9FMvMNpn3ukEqdj/?mibextid=oFDknk

https://haitiantimes.com/2024/10/23/government-recalls-police-soldiers-from-vip-protection-amid-gang-attacks/

https://apnews.com/article/haiti-gangs-violence-solino-un-mission-c6bea0069973d723d51d23cbd9110e49

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MfuaczByyg

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/30/haiti-armed-gangs-port-au-prince

https://haitiantimes.com/2024/10/19/gang-attacks-port-au-prince-killed-three-people-and-houses-burned/

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/haitis-police-force-shrinks-amid-gang-crisis-union-2024-01-22/

https:/www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/S-2023-492.pdf

https://haitiantimes.com/2024/06/10/gang-attack-killed-three-police-officers-in-ambush/

https://apnews.com/article/haiti-violence-police-killed-kenya-gangs-84eb8a827967238805827742bbd7bf69

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-68896323

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/haiti-gang-war-spreads-upscale-suburb-embassies-evacuate-staff-2024-03-21/

https://news.sky.com/story/prominent-haitian-gang-leader-shot-dead-by-police-as-political-groups-near-finalisation-of-transition-council-13099622

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ThDZY9t8Cw

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/article286303630.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/06/ariel-henry-haiti-resign/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-68478718

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/04/haiti-mass-jailbreak-violence-port-au-prince-gangs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79sWxhmcQBI

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-68462851

https://apnews.com/article/kenya-haiti-un-police-force-gang-violence-30930ccf3cbc31c6969cabd6c9dacb2c

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20231002-%F0%9F%94%B4-un-security-council-approves-international-security-force-for-haiti

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-63181481

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/haiti-reaches-a-breaking-point-as-the-economy-tanks-and-violence-soars

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2clSUjqzUk

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/article265726706.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-62292007

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-62162390

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-58706903

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-68542077

https://nation.africa/kenya/news/talks-opened-with-haiti-s-barbecue-for-release-of-murdered-kenyan-s-body-4984342

https://eastleighvoice.co.ke/national/132617/police-ig-kanja-says-search-for-officer-benedict-kabiru-missing-in-haiti-still-ongoing

https://x.com/ntvkenya/status/1910767883505877440

https://x.com/ntvkenya/status/1908587152746688536

https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/110325-nps-responds-after-kenyan-officer-mss-haiti-mission-goes-missing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja019VPjfZk

https://nairobinews.co.ke/police-ig-provides-update-on-missing-officer-benedict-kabiru-family-calls-for-more-information/

https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/110378-haitian-govt-identifies-kenyan-police-officer-killed-gangs-benedict-kabiru

https://haitiantimes.com/2025/03/26/kenyan-police-officer-killed-in-artibonite/

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/26/americas/haiti-mss-kenya-officer-missing-gangs-intl-latam/index.html