Haiti police recover hijacked cargo ship in rare victory after 5-hour shootout with gangs

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s National Police agency says that it has recovered a hijacked cargo ship laden with rice following a gunbattle with gangs that lasted more than five hours. Two police officers were injured and an undetermined number of gang members were killed in the shootout that occurred Saturday off the coast of … Read more

Gunbattle between Haitian police and gangs paralyzes area near National Palace

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Heavy gunfire erupted Monday in the downtown area of Haiti’s capital as police battled gang members near the National Palace for several hours. Local media reported that at least one policeman was shot after he and other officers were forced to flee an armored car that was later set on fire. Scores … Read more

Police in Haiti say 2 men were hacked to death by a mob who thought they were buying ammo for gangs

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Two men in Haiti were hacked to death by a mob who thought they were buying ammunition or guns for gangs that have terrorized the country, police said Saturday. Police confirmed the crowd snatched the men from police custody after they were found with about $20,000 and the equivalent of about … Read more

Gangs unleash new attacks on upscale areas in Haiti’s capital, with at least a dozen killed nearby

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Gangs attacked two upscale neighborhoods in Haiti’s capital early Monday in a rampage that left at least a dozen people dead in surrounding areas. Gunmen looted homes in the communities of Laboule and Thomassin before sunrise, forcing residents to flee as some called radio stations pleading for police. The neighborhoods had … Read more

Hunger soars and aid dwindles as gangs in Haiti suffocate the country

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A crowd of about 100 people tried to shove through a metal gate in Haiti’s capital as a guard with a baton pushed them back, threatening to hit them. Undeterred, children and adults alike, some of them carrying babies, kept elbowing each other trying to enter. “Let us in! We’re hungry!” they … Read more

Gangs attack police stations in Haiti as Caribbean leaders call an emergency meeting Monday

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Police and palace guards worked Saturday to retake some streets in Haiti’s capital after gangs launched massive attacks on at least three police stations. Guards from the National Palace accompanied by an armored truck tried to set up a security perimeter around one of the three downtown stations after police fought off … Read more

As gangs attack a critical port, ‘Haiti will go hungry soon’

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — First the gangs blocked the roads to Haiti’s capital. Then they attacked the airport. Now they have breached the city’s main port, cutting off the capital from one of its last remaining lifelines for food and supplies as the country teeters toward collapse. On Wednesday night, dozens of gang members stormed the … Read more

Politicians seek new alliances to lead Haiti as gangs take over and premier tries to return home

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Haitian politicians started pursuing new alliances Wednesday, seeking a coalition that could lead the country out of the gang violence that has fueled lawlessness, closed the main airport and prevented embattled Prime Minister Ariel Henry from returning home. Haiti remained largely paralyzed, with schools and businesses still closed amid heavy gunfire blamed … Read more

Haiti declares state of emergency after gangs lead mass prison break

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti —Haiti is under a nighttime curfew after armed gangs led a mass prison break and demanded the resignation of the country’s prime minister, who is abroad seeking support for a U.N.-backed international security force for the Caribbean nation. The curfew is part of a renewable 72-hour state of emergency imposed Sunday, following an … Read more