Testimonials
Gang war north of Port-au-Prince: "People are killed, houses burned down"
A road in the Plaine du Cul-de-sac blocked by gangs.
© Anonymous witness video screenshot
Text by: Stefanie Schüler Follow
7 mins
Since Sunday, April 24 at dawn, the suburbs located in the northeast of Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, have become a veritable war zone.
Their inhabitants are taken hostage, in the midst of deadly clashes between two gangs: the "400 Mawozo", driven out of this territory in 2018, are now trying to regain control of it from the criminal gang led by the one who is call it "Naughty Dog".
Testimonials.
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“
The very violent exchanges of fire woke us up last night from Saturday to Sunday.
Sunday morning, we heard them from afar.
We went to church.
But during the mass, it was shooting right next to it.
We couldn't leave the church.
Since then, the situation has only worsened hour by hour.
So far there are shots.
We don't always know which direction they come from
, ”says this resident on condition of anonymity.
In order not to compromise his safety, we have decided not to reveal either his place of residence or that of the other witnesses in this article.
Santo, Marin, Shada, Croix-des-Mission, Butte Boyer, Bon Repos are the names of localities that are part of an area called the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac.
It is located at the northeast exit of Port-au-Prince.
And for four days now, the air has been filled with relentless bursts of heavy-caliber automatic weapons.
Reportedly, members of one of Haiti's largest gangs, the 400 Mawozo, are trying to regain control of this territory, which they lost in 2018 to a criminal group led by a man who calls himself Naughty dog.
Videos circulating on social networks show streets covered with casings, witnesses to the violence of the fighting.
"The gang member burned alive in the street"
"
In the ranks of the two gangs, there are many victims
", says this man who lives in the heart of the clashes.
“
In my street, a member of a gang was burned alive, with his motorcycle.
It was terrifying.
My children screamed.
It was panic
”.
The inhabitants of the localities affected by this violence are hiding in their homes.
“
Since Sunday, we have been locked up.
We can't even go out in the yard because at any moment there's shooting.
You can even take a bullet inside the house
, ”describes a mother.
“
Many civilians were injured and killed in their homes
,” reports another witness.
who explains that in his neighborhood, “
people often live in tin houses, without fences.
These dwellings are of no shelter to them.
The bullets go through the walls
”.
“
A lady I know well died yesterday
,” reports a resident, her voice choked with tears
:
“
She was pregnant.
She was hit by a projectile.
We managed to transport her to the hospital.
But she was unlucky.
She died just outside the hospital.
And her baby too
.
Testimonies of abuses committed by gangs
But according to the accounts of the inhabitants of the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac, the civilians were not only hit by stray bullets.
Several of these testimonies also refer to abuses committed by gangs against the population.
"
It's really awful.
There are many, many shots.
The gangs burn houses, cars too
,
”
said a young woman.
“
Gang members come into people's homes and kill them
.
Women are victims of rape
,” says an elderly man who lives in the heart of the fighting
.
The entire Plaine du Cul-de-Sac is now under a veritable state of siege: “
Maughty Dog has erected barricades on several road arteries to prevent the 400 Mawozo from arriving with reinforcements.
The area is completely blocked off.
There is no traffic at all.
Nothing works.
Schools are closed as are shops and small businesses.
No one can go to work.
I should have gone out today to go to work, but I can't.
We are completely blocked, we only hear cartridges
”.
Water and food are running out
On the fourth day of the bloody clashes north of the capital, another problem now arises: access to food and especially to drinking water.
The majority of Haitians are forced to live hand to mouth and have no stock to last.
For the thousands of families, it's too much anxiety.
“
We decided to reduce our consumption.
But after three days, our reserves have reduced considerably
, ”explains a resident.
“
I no longer have drinking water at home
,” worries her neighbor: “
What water we had left, we just drank.
I don't know how we're going to do tomorrow
."
More and more families see no other solution than to risk their lives to flee the combat zones under the bullets.
“
There are inhabitants of this area who have left their homes to take refuge in the public square of Clercine and also at the town hall of Tabarre
”, reports a resident.
At this time, we do not know how many families are currently gathering in public places in these two localities.
But according to testimonies, these displaced people are in extremely precarious conditions, especially since it has rained a lot in recent days.
"
Those who have not had the chance to leave are kept informed
", specifies this father who did not dare to go out with his family, as the bullets whistled around his house.
“
Each evening, we hope to be able to go about our activities the next day.
However, the clashes are only gaining in intensity
.
The fear of repeating the Martissant scenario
The violence in the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac is reminiscent of the gang war that has upset the lives of the inhabitants of Martissant since June 2021, at the southern exit of Port-au-Prince.
Criminals control a stretch of National Road #2 there, effectively cutting off Haiti's southern peninsula from the capital and the rest of the country.
While the bloody clashes between the 400 Mawozo and Chien Mechant are in their fourth day in the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac, the residents tremble at the idea that this situation could be long-lasting, as in the south of the capital.
“
I want the authorities of this country to say something
”, castigates this woman.
“
Because a few months ago, it was Martissant, then it was the Croix des Bouquets and now it's falling on us, in the Plain.
I can't take this anymore
."
"
And the worst part is that we don't know if there will be a truce, when we can go out
," adds her friend.
“
We stay there, helpless, waiting for a miracle.
Because we can't expect anything from the authorities
”.
The deafening silence of Ariel Henry's government
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Ariel Henry's interim government issued a
statement
meant to underline the authorities' desire to guarantee public order.
But the text does not mention the situation in the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac.
"
We are abandoned in the hands of gangs who prevent us from living normally
," sighs a young Haitian.
“
Me, I no longer hope for anything
,” says a father.
“
Because it becomes a classic case: remember the other areas affected by clashes between armed gangs.
Many have waited
(for the government to take matters into their own hands, editor's note.).
I expect the worst
”.
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