Port-au-Prince, Haiti, remains visually serene from an aerial perspective, with its whitewashed homes nestled among lush green hills and a shimmering bay. However, navigating its streets requires a careful assessment of risks and potential rewards.
The city is under the ruthless grip of gangs, who exploit the populace, divide neighborhoods into warring criminal domains, and isolate Haiti’s international port from the rest of the country.
In this environment, the most widely shared online videos often feature torture, recorded and disseminated by gangs to instill fear and expedite ransom payments for the thousands of kidnapping victims. Just recently, within hours of arriving at Toussaint L’Ouverture airport, a CNN team received forwarded messages from contacts sharing the latest gruesome footage – a bound woman struggling as her captors taunted her with flames.
This glimpse into the daily viral torment in Haiti underscores the population’s tipping point, as frequent civilian protests underscore. According to UN estimates, gangs control 80% of the capital and are now vying for the remainder.
Since last week, Port-au-Prince has been besieged by a series of highly coordinated gang assaults, with armed groups targeting police stations, releasing prisoners, and openly challenging Haiti’s unpopular Prime Minister, Ariel Henry. On Sunday, the Haitian government declared a state of emergency following the apparent escape of thousands of inmates from the country’s largest prison.
“We have chosen to take our destiny in our own hands. The battle we are waging will not only topple Ariel’s government. It is a battle that will change the whole system,” said Jimmy “Barbeque” Cherizier, a former police officer who fancies himself a Robin Hood-like figure in his territory, in a statement reported by local media.
Henry’s current whereabouts are uncertain after a visit to Kenya last week.
