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Nearly 50 suspected gang members were killed this week during a violent assault on the coastal town of Arcahaie, northwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. According to a report from the Associated Press (AP), the attack began Monday when armed gangs set homes and vehicles ablaze. While many gang members were shot by police, at least a dozen drowned on Wednesday after their boat hit a reef and capsized while transporting ammunition, confirmed Wilner Réné of Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency.
The attack is attributed to the gang coalition “Viv Ansanm,” which has been involved in a string of recent assaults on other communities in and around Port-au-Prince. When their ammunition ran out, some of the gang members took cover in surrounding areas, but they were soon discovered by residents and police. The violence continues, and local forces have called for reinforcements as they struggle to contain the situation.
This wave of violence comes shortly after the launch of a UN-backed security mission led by Kenyan police, aimed at tackling the surge in gang-related crime. The AP noted that this mission has faced challenges, including limited personnel and resources, which Haitian and U.S. officials have urged to be addressed through a potential expansion or replacement by a UN peacekeeping force.
With gang violence intensifying across Haiti, including in Arcahaie, the humanitarian crisis deepens, with hundreds of thousands displaced and local infrastructure increasingly threatened.
