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WORLD NEWS Saturday 30 april 2022
Haitians struggle to find food, shelter amid new gang battle

By PIERRE-RICHARD LUXA- struggled to improve secu-
MA and EVENS SANON rity even as it gets help from
Associated Press the international communi-
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) ty to boost an understaffed
— Heavy gunfire echoed and underfunded police
Thursday in a once quiet department.
neighborhood in Haiti's Defenders Plus, a local hu-
capital that has become man rights group, accused
ground zero in a gang fight political leaders of being
that has has killed at least careless, incompetent and
20 people, injured more unable "to ensure one of
than a dozen and forced the basic functions of any
thousands to flee their State: the security of its ter-
homes this week. ritory."
Parents grabbed children It also demanded that
by the hands as they bal- authorities "assume their
anced bags on their heads responsibilities in order to
with the few belongings guarantee the population's
they could salvage after right to life and security."
gang members ousted Government officials did A police officer patrols a street during an anti-gang operation in Croix-des-Missions north of Port-
them from their homes. not return calls for com- au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, April 28, 2022.
The fighting raging in four ment. Associated Press
districts on the nothern side Authorities said the fighting
of Port-au-Prince is a new between a gang known as ordinator with Haiti's Civil officials provided displaced ghetti, rice and beans.
peak in the criminal vio- Chen Mechan (Bad Dog in Protection Agency, told families with toiletry kits and "We hope the situation will
lence that has surged as in- Haitian Creole) and the 400 The Associated Press that gave them dishes of spa- not worsen," he said.q
creasingly powerful gangs Mawozo gang, which kid-
try to control more territory napped 17 U.S. missionaires
during the political power last year, began Sunday.
vacuum left by the July 7 The 400 Mawozo gang is
assassination of President considered the more pow-
Jovenel Moïse. erful of the two and has
"I left everything behind," long been accused of kid-
said Kerline Brutus, 35, who napping and other violent
fled with her three children acts.
from one of the neighbor- Government officials have
hoods, Butte Boyer, a long said they worry the violence
quiet district where she has in that area will worsen and
lived more than 25 years. that people will continue to
She had to abandon her flee.
96-year-old paralyzed fa- "This almost cost me my life
ther because she couldn't because they broke into
carry him. "I don't know my home and had me lay
how he's doing, if he's still on the ground," said Melissa
alive," she said. Vital, 25, who has a 3-year-
Brutus said she keeps pray- old daughter. "Luckily my
ing for him as she struggles boyfriend wasn't there be-
to find shelter for her fam- cause they were killing men
ily. They have been hud- that they found in houses."
dling under the front step She said the gang mem-
of a store with an awning bers ordered her and her
that protects them from the daughter to leave their
rain, but she is looking for home in Butte Boyer.
more permanent shelter. "I don't know where to go
"It seems like this country right now," Vital said, add-
has no authorities. No one ing that she is feeling weak
came here to see us. We because she is still breast-
don't know how long we're feeding her daughter but
going to be here or how hasn't had much to eat.
long this is going to last," "I've been with the same
she said, echoing the frus- clothes since Sunday."
tration of Haitians over the Thousands of Haitians af-
rise in violence. fected by a surge of gang
Some 100 police officers violence last year in the
carrying automatic weap- Martissan community in the
ons spread through the south of Port-au-Prince are
neighborhood checking still living in crowded and
people and their belong- unhygienic government
ings, but barrages of gun- shelters, and it isn't clear
fire rang out nearby. where newly displaced
The administration of Prime families will go.
Minister Ariel Henry has Emmanuel Piersaint, a co-