Haitian gangs

Gangs in Haiti have attacked an armored vehicle, leaving four Salvadoran soldiers unaccounted for. This marks the first major attack since an international gang suppression force began operations. The attack happened Sunday in Croix-des-Bouquets, a gang-controlled area of Port-au-Prince.

A new report is offering fresh insight into how gangs in Haiti backed by political and economic actors operate in a country preparing for its first general elections in more than 10 years.

The United Nations says armed men have killed at least 47 people and kidnapped over 50 others near Haiti's capital. This attack, which occurred Sunday in Kenscoff, is believed to be one of the largest mass kidnappings in Haiti in recent years. A gang leader has threatened to kill the hostages if authorities harm any gang members. The attack challenges the belief that security in Haiti is improving.

Voter registration has started in Haiti's capital and beyond, marking a critical milestone in the push for general elections even as concerns over widespread gang violence persist. The government on Thursday opened 10 registration centers across Port-au-Prince in neighborhoods considered generally safe as dozens of hopeful Haitians trickled through.

Mike Waltz, the U.S. envoy to the United Nations, says his government will soon target violent gangs in Haiti who make money off social media posts. Gang leaders in the troubled Caribbean country are prolific users of social media and have celebrated killings, issued threats and posted musings on various sites.

Residents of Port-au-Prince’s Cite Soleil district have staged a protest to seek the protection of local authorities after gang violence forced hundreds of people to flee their homes over the weekend.

"It is clear that the security conditions are not met at the level for us to have elections in August," Fils-Aimé said in an interview broadcast Monday on Magik9 radio in Haiti and reported by Reuters.

The U.S. Embassy posted Wednesday on X that such a maneuver would undermine efforts to establish "a minimal level of security and stability" in Haiti, and said the U.S. would take "appropriate measures" to respond.

The U.S. government has imposed visa restrictions on Fritz Alphonse Jean, a member of Haiti's transitional presidential council, and accused him of supporting gangs. The U.S. also accuses Jean of obstructing Haiti's fight against the gangs that control 90% of Haiti's capital and extort businesses using military-grade weaponry.

The U.N. Security Council's approval for the creation of a so-called gang suppression force in Haiti has been met with wary resignation in the small Caribbean state.

Citing police sources, Haitian media report one of Haiti’s violent and powerful gangs was responsible for abducting nine people from the Sainte-Hélène orphanage outside Port-au-Prince. A day earlier, police arrested former Haitian Sen. Nenel Cassy for allegedly sponsoring gangs, which now control almost all of Port-au-Prince.

U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Miramar, said Friday that she and more than 30 congressional colleagues signed a letter with their recommendations to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.