Star Metro - Haiti security forces commence major anti-gang operation

A drone attack in the capital Port-au-Prince targeted one of the homes of Jimmy Cherizier, known as "Barbecue," who is leader of the Viv Ansanm criminal gang coalition, the communications officer for the national police said.

"The targeted operation allowed us to destroy his house and minimize any possibility of his group returning to the area," Frantz Lerebours told AFP.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has not held elections in nine years, and is plagued by political instability and rampant gang violence.

Gangs, which frequently commit murders, rapes, robberies and kidnappings, control around 90 percent of Port-au-Prince, according to UN estimates.

Haitian police carry out daily operations in downtown Port-au-Prince, with the support of an international anti-gang security force and a private security company.

Drone explosions could be heard throughout the day, an AFP journalist on the scene reported.

Haitian police say they hope to "regain control of the capital in the short term" thanks to a series of "intensive operations" carried out since the end of December.

"We are working to restore public order," said Lerebours. "We are conducting security patrols in these areas. This has not been possible for several years."

- 1.4 million displaced -

Haiti's security situation has worsened since early 2024, when then-prime minister Ariel Henry was forced out of power by armed criminal groups.

Eighteen countries have pledged to provide security forces to the anti-gang unit that is replacing a UN multinational mission.

It will consist of up to 5,500 soldiers, Albert Ramdin, the secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), confirmed in mid-December.

If all goes to plan, the first half of the new multinational force should be deployed by April 1, the date when a UN support office will be established, Ramdin said.

According to a recent report by Unicef, approximately 1.4 million people have been displaced within the country due to violence in the capital, representing more than 10 percent of the population.

That number includes more than 740,000 children.

An estimated 5.7 million people face acute food insecurity, including 1.2 million children under the age of five.

Haiti is currently ruled by transitional authorities, who have announced that legislative and presidential elections will be held in the summer of 2026.

F.T. Michaud--SMC