At least two women, including a pregnant woman, were killed and around 5,000 people were forced to flee their homes as gangs launched violent attacks in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, according to the country’s Civil Protection agency on Monday.
Haiti has long grappled with gang violence, but recent months have seen the situation escalate, deepening the country’s ongoing humanitarian and security crises.
The victims, killed inside their homes in the Solino district, were attacked by gangs operating under the “Viv Ansanm” coalition. The attacks left homes and vehicles in flames, with thick smoke visible throughout the area.
In a separate incident, a school in L’Estere was targeted, leaving one parent dead and several children injured.
This surge in violence comes despite the presence of a UN-backed mission, led by Kenya, aimed at supporting Haiti’s overwhelmed police force. However, the deployment remains far below its target of 2,500 officers, as gangs continue to control 80% of Port-au-Prince and the country’s key roads.
The violence has claimed at least 3,661 lives this year, according to the UN, and has displaced more than 700,000 people, half of them children, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).