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

Hundreds of inmates flee after armed gangs storm Haiti’s main prison, leaving bodies behind

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Hundreds of inmates fled Haiti’s main prison after armed gangs stormed the facility in an overnight explosion of violence that engulfed much of the capital. At least five people were dead Sunday. The jailbreak marked a new low in Haiti’s downward spiral of violence and came as gangs step up coordinated … Read more

Hundreds of inmates flee after armed gangs storm Haiti’s main prison

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Hundreds of inmates have fled Haiti’s main prison after armed gangs stormed the facility overnight. At least three people were dead Sunday. The jailbreak marked a new low in Haiti’s downward spiral of violence and came as gangs assert greater control in the capital, Port-au-Prince, while embattled Prime Minister Ariel Henry is … Read more

Police in Haiti struggle against gangs storming prison in latest surge of violence

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Police in Haiti urgently appealed for help Saturday night as they struggled to hold back gangs trying to storm the country’s main prison in a major escalation of violence sweeping the troubled Caribbean nation. “They need help,” a union representing Haitian police said in a message posted on social media bearing an … Read more

How Much of Martin Scorsese’s ‘Gangs of New York’ Is True?

The Big Picture Gangs of New York , although fictional in its central plot, sheds light on the historic tensions between Catholics, immigrants, and Protestant “natives” in 19th-century New York City. The film draws inspiration from real-life gangs and events of the time, such as the existence of the Know-Nothings, a powerful political society focused … Read more

Haiti pushes forward with new program to boost police department overwhelmed by gangs

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Prime Minister Ariel Henry met for the first time Tuesday with officials from various countries who are part of an international steering committee aimed at boosting the country’s beleaguered police department as it awaits the potential deployment of a foreign armed force to help it fight gangs, according to Haiti’s government. The … Read more

Gangs are using rape as a weapon in Haiti. Justice is elusive.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Mislande’s nightmare began as it does for so many women and girls here, with a trip across a gang-controlled area to buy tomatoes, onions and other vegetables to sell in her neighborhood. The 24-year-old was returning with seven others from a downtown market last March to their homes in Cité Soleil, the … Read more