Dozens of people have been killed in Haiti’s capital following violent clashes between a powerful gang coalition and a group of armed men that appears to have splintered from it, according to a local human rights organization. Among the victims are at least 10 children.
The Committee for Peace and Development reported that one of the dead was Dèdè, a senior gang figure operating in the Bel Air neighborhood of Port au Prince. He was reportedly beheaded during the violence. Another prominent gang leader, Kempes Sanon, a former police officer, was injured in the clashes. The extent of his injuries remains unclear, but the attack has heightened fears of further bloodshed in a city where gangs already control an estimated 90 percent of territory.
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While receiving medical treatment, Sanon was reportedly stripped of his leadership position by two men known as Jamesly and Ti Gason, according to the human rights group.
The violence is considered unusual because in September 2023, numerous gangs united under a coalition known as Viv Ansanm, or Live Together. That alliance led to a relative reduction in violence after armed groups agreed to stop fighting among themselves. Sanon and his group were members of Viv Ansanm prior to the current attack. The United States has designated the coalition as a foreign terrorist organization.
The Committee for Peace and Development has so far documented at least 49 people killed since Monday. The victims include 19 gang members, 10 children who had been recruited by gangs, and a man in his 60s who was struck by a stray bullet. The group also reported that 19 women whose partners were gang members were executed by the Krache Dife gang while seeking medical care for the injured men at a clinic.
Krache Dife, which translates to Spit Fire, is believed to remain aligned with Sanon and is also a member of the Viv Ansanm coalition.
The death toll is expected to rise, as the fighting is ongoing and authorities and humanitarian groups have been unable to access the affected areas.
In a recent report, the United Nations noted that Sanon has played a major role in consolidating gang power in Port au Prince, particularly through his involvement in the Viv Ansanm alliance, which has carried out coordinated attacks to expand gang controlled territory. The report also stated that Sanon maintains connections within government institutions, including security agencies, enabling him to evade arrest and continue his criminal operations.
As the violence continues, hundreds of civilians are sheltering in place, with growing concerns about access to food and other basic necessities. Even before the clashes, hunger was already widespread, with more than half of Haiti’s nearly 12 million people experiencing crisis levels of food insecurity or worse.
The renewed violence is also expected to further destabilize the country as Haiti prepares for general elections next year. The nation’s transitional government is due to step down in early February, raising additional concerns about security and governance amid the escalating crisis.
