A brazen attack by heavily armed gangs on a community near Port-au-Prince has left dozens dead, authorities said Wednesday, underscoring the relentless violence plaguing Haiti. Mayor Jean Smith of the affected commune confirmed that at least 25 people were killed in the assault, which appeared to target civilians and local infrastructure. However, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released a higher estimate, stating that 47 people had been killed and warning that the number could rise as search operations continue.
The discrepancy in figures is not uncommon in Haiti, where gang-controlled areas often impede official access and accurate casualty counts. Witnesses reported that the attackers moved methodically through the neighborhood, firing on homes and setting vehicles ablaze. The violence forced hundreds of residents to flee, some seeking shelter in nearby schools and churches. The attack marks the latest in a series of large-scale gang operations that have displaced over 700,000 people across Haiti since 2023.
Haitian National Police spokesperson Garry Desrosiers said officers responded to the scene but were outgunned by the heavily armed assailants. "We are facing a coordinated assault that overwhelms our current capabilities," he said. The U.N. Security Council is expected to discuss the crisis in an emergency session later this week, as international calls for a robust peacekeeping mission grow louder. The attack comes amid a political vacuum—Haiti has not held elections since 2016, and the transitional council formed in 2024 has struggled to assert authority.
Local aid groups described the scene as a massacre. "This is not just a crime—it is a systematic effort by gangs to terrorize entire communities into submission," said Marie-Louis Denis, director of a Port-au-Prince-based human rights organization. The gangs, which control an estimated 80% of the capital, appear to be expanding their territorial grip, targeting previously safe neighborhoods.