Haiti: Police launch new operation in Port-au-Prince April 11 /update 1

Event

The Secretary of State Public Security has announced that the Haitian National Police (PNH) will launch a new security operation in Port-au-Prince on Wednesday, April 11. Additional PNH patrols will be conducted in the Pétionville, Delmas, and Tabarre neighborhoods, as well as other high-risk areas in Ouest department, to combat recent gang violence. An increased security presence is anticipated in the abovementioned areas in the coming days.

Authorities also said that five suspects had been arrested in connection to a series of shootings in the Bicentennaire neighborhood earlier in the week.

Context

Members of rival gangs armed with automatic weapons clashed in the Portail Léogane area of the Bicentennaire on April 8, disrupting traffic and businesses in Bicentennaire and Martissant. The same day, a civilian employee of the PNH was also murdered in the area.

Crime rates and social unrest has risen in recent months, particularly since the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) was replaced by the UN Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH) in October 2017. MINUJUSTH has fewer resources than MINUSTAH and has been unable to accurately report on criminal incidents in the capital and surrounding areas.

Advice

Individuals in Port-au-Prince, and Haiti more generally, are advised to exercise an increased level of vigilance regarding crime and report any suspicious activity or behavior to the authorities.