Report: Haiti Gangs Expand Into Countryside

Haitian armed gangs are expanding beyond Port-au-Prince into rural areas, using small, mobile units for kidnappings, cattle theft, roadblocks and rapid raids rather than permanently holding territory. The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime’s Haiti Observatory said the strategy is worsening insecurity in areas such as Artibonite, a major agricultural region, while Haitian security forces lack the personnel, equipment and training to respond across mountainous and dispersed terrain. A recent attack in Kenscoff, where dozens were reportedly killed and more than 50 people kidnapped, illustrates the escalating threat and the erosion of churches and other community sanctuaries. The report called for more than security operations, urging protection for farmers, economic recovery, resolution of local land disputes, and programs to disarm and reintegrate gang members. Self-defense brigades formed to oppose criminal groups, some backed by Haiti’s interim leaders, are also complicating efforts by a U.S.-supported, U.N.-authorized force to restore order.