Haitian Justice and Peace Director: Gang violence in Haiti has gone too far

By Jean-Benoît Harel and Lisa Zengarini

Gang violence is not new in Haiti, but it is today reaching intolerable levels, sparing no one, not even state and church institutions, says the director of the National Commission for Justice and Peace, Joceline Colas.

Speaking to Vatican News' Jean-Benoît Harel following last weekend's mass escape from two major prisons stormed by armed gangs in the capital Port-au-Prince, near La Croix des Bouquets, Ms. Colas confirmed that gang-related violence has increased since then. the beginning of this year and the security situation is out of control.

Nearly 5,000 killed in Haiti by gang violence in 2023 according to the UN

The UN estimates that conflict with gangs has killed nearly 5,000 people in 2023 and driven some 300,000 from their homes. In January this year, more than 100 people were killed, and February hit a new record of 176 killed, mostly by gunfire.

“The country has been plagued by violence for years, but now armed groups are attacking institutions,” Ms. Colas said. “It's too much. Enough is enough!”

Church targeted by gangs

The Church is also increasingly the target of gangs, who attack parishes and kidnap priests and religious men and women.

The director of Justice and Peace said there was still no news of the six Brothers of the Sacré-Cœur kidnapped on February 23 in Port-au-Prince. A priest kidnapped the same day was released.

Catholic schools forced to close

The persistent insecurity has forced ecclesial institutions, including the Justice and Peace Commission, to change their habits: “We are forced to work at home and we very rarely go to our offices for fear of being kidnapped,” explained Ms. Colas.

Many Catholic schools were also forced to close.

In the interview, the Haitian director of Justice and Peace deplored the “inaction” of the Haitian authorities despite repeated calls also from the Church to take its responsibilities to deal with the crisis. She suggested that Haiti's political leaders use gangs to stay in power. “They don’t do anything, so they let it happen,” she said.

She stressed that the explosion which injured Mgr Pierre-André Dumas, vice-president of the Haitian Episcopal Conference on January 28, confirms that the Church has become a direct target of gangs. Bishop Dumas, currently recovering in a hospital in Miami, Florida, sharply criticized Haitian authorities for their lack of response to the crisis.

Catholic hospital attacked in Port-au-Prince

Meanwhile, violence continues to rage in the country despite the declaration of a state of emergency and the 72-hour curfew imposed by the government after the attack on the two prisons in which nearly 4,000 detainees were managed to escape. Gangs are now attacking airports and several public buildings, including hospitals. Among them, the Catholic hospital “Saint François de Sales” in Port-au-Prince, as reported by a local Church source in Agenzia Fideswho described the situation as “terrifying”.

Haitian bishops have repeatedly advocated for the restoration of security in Haiti and, in a recent statement, joined them in calling on Prime Minister Ariel Henry to step down “for the good of the nation,” while urging Haitians not to give in to violence.

Henry, who became prime minister in 2021 after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, has also faced heavy criticism in recent weeks for postponing elections that were due to take place this year. In early February, he announced that he would hold elections by August 2025, once the situation was more stable. The last elections took place in 2016.