SUMMARY

Gangs in Haiti were known for perpetrating violence against civilians in territories under the rule of a rival gang, but also against civilians that lived in the territories they themselves control. This type of violence, in the form of executions and sexual violence, for example, were intended to intimidate the population into submission.

On 7 April 2023, several members of the G9 coalition located in the Belekou neighborhood, were fatally shot during a sniper attack by the rival Brooklyn gang led by Ti Gabriel, the main leader of the G-Pep coalition.

The next day, G9 retaliated by attacking the Brooklyn neighborhood. As Brooklyn residents were hemmed by these attacks, they attempted to escape the area using a northern route that passed through Terre Noire's territory. Terre Noire, a known ally of G9, launched an attack by indiscriminately shooting at those residents with sniper fire.

Terre Noire first became active as a one-sided actor in UCDP data in 2023, when the one-sided violence resulted in over 25 civilian deaths. The threshold was reached in April that year when Terre Noire members shot indiscriminately at neighbors, resulting in over 70 civilian deaths.