Avellon Williams
PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI- According to the NGO Reseau National de Defense des Droits Humains (RNDDH), 60 people have died and 50 are missing in Port-au-Prince after armed gangs clashed in just eight days.
As shots were heard in the Haitian capital this Monday, the RNDDH figures were merely a provisional estimate of the deaths that occurred between February 24 and March 4, as a result of clashes between the G9 and GPEP coalitions, competing for control of the territory.
In the Solino neighborhood, an area that has been peaceful until now but that the G9 is planning to conquer, no data has yet been collected, according to Pierre Esperance, executive director of the RNDDH.
Due to this war between gangs, tensions in the Haitian capital have been worsening for days. The clashes have forced hundreds of people to flee their homes, dozens of whom have taken refuge in relatives’ homes, fearing that “displaced camps” will be created and attacked later. The videos circulating on social media show hundreds of houses being burnt, and people have also been burned as a result.
As a result of this and the increase in kidnappings, several schools in Port-au-Prince have closed their doors until further notice. Several kidnappings have been reported in the last week, including students, parents of students, and even people at home.
In spite of the tension, the Haitian authorities have not made any statements or announced any measures to resolve the gang wars.
