Gang violence in Haiti’s Cité‑Soleil kills over 80 people

More than 80 people have been killed and around a hundred injured in five days of fighting between armed gangs in Cité‑Soleil, a suburb north of Port‑au‑Prince. The clashes involve a coalition of groups including Chien Méchant, 400 Mawazo and the Talibanes, who are battling for control of areas where companies generate thousands of dollars for the national economy.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) temporarily evacuated one of its hospitals in the neighbourhood due to the deteriorating security. Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils‑Aimé convened an extraordinary council, ordering an immediate strengthening of police operations and a coordinated, sustained response to the violence. United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) says the first quarter of 2024 alone has accounted for at least 1,642 deaths and 745 injuries nationwide, underscoring the deepening crisis.