Haiti gang violence escalates amid allegations of political weaponization

Wilson Joseph, leader of the 400 Mawozos organization, has accused Haitian political leaders of arming gang members to sabotage elections and defend specific interests. Joseph stated that politicians have entered neighborhoods to provide weapons to youths to carry out sabotage against opposing political parties.

In separate developments, the Haitian National Police reported several gang members were killed during recent clashes. In the Arcahaie region, northwest of Port-au-Prince, gang members attacked authorities following a police operation on October 29 that resulted in the deaths of approximately 20 gang members, including a leader known as “Galaxy.”

These clashes occur as El Salvador maintains a deployment of over 2,000 soldiers in the country to locate four missing members of the Gang Suppression Force (GSF).