SUMMARY
Several neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, were controlled by territorially based gangs. Extortion and kidnapping within the neighborhoods under their domain, were the gangs’ main sources of revenue, making territorial expansion vital for their survival and growth. As a consequence, gangs in Port-au-Prince were constantly involved in turf wars that led to violent clashes among them and frequently turned into acts of violence directed towards civilians.
In their search for territorial expansion, eleven gangs from Port-au-Prince joined forces in 2020 and thus, the coalition Delmas 19 gang, Delmas 6 gang, Delmas 95 gang, Nan Belekou gang, Nan Boston gang, Nan Chabón gang, Nan Ti Bwa gang, Pilate base gang, Rue St. Martin gang, Simon Pele gang, Wharf de Jeremie gang was created. Failed attempts at a friendly integration of other gangs into the coalition, as well as ongoing rivalries, led to violent clashes between the coalition and other gangs, culminating in the violent events of May 2020.
Another possible explanation for the attacks on civilians by the coalition is the alleged link between the member gangs and the Government of Haiti, led by Jovenel Moïse. Since the nationwide protests demanding Moïse’s resignation in October 2018, several of the territories where the protests took place, were attacked by national police forces and gangs believed to be close to President Moïse. Therefore, the attacks could have been carried out in order to achieve political control for electoral purposes.
On 23 May 2020, the member gangs organized simultaneous attacks on several territories in order to take control of them by force. Divided into groups, the member gangs entered the territories of Chancerelles, Fort Dimanche, Nan Brooklyn, Nan Tokyo and Pont Rouge between 23 and 27 May 2020, attacking the population indiscriminately. During those days, the coalition members shot and beheaded several civilians, while also vandalizing their homes and setting them on fire afterwards. Part of the population managed to flee from the violence, but many others that tried to do the same were stabbed or thrown into the sea to prevent their escape. As a way to disappear evidence from the violence, several bodies and human remains were also thrown into the sea or burned to ashes. Member gangs successfully took over the territories of Chancerelles, Nan Tokyo, Delmas 2, Nan Barozi, Delmas 4, Peace Village and Fort Dimanche after which, the coalition was dissolved as the most powerful gangs within it decided to form the G9 an Fanmi e Alye group.
The gang coalition formed by Delmas 19 gang, Delmas 6 gang, Delmas 95 gang, Nan Belekou gang, Nan Boston gang, Nan Chabón gang, Nan Ti Bwa gang, Pilate base gang, Rue St. Martin gang, Simon Pele gang and Wharf de Jeremie gang first became active as a one-sided actor in UCDP data in 2020, when the one-sided violence resulted in over 25 civilian deaths. The threshold was reached in May that year when the gang members massacred over 30 civilians across several neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince.
