Police Officers dead in Haiti after Gang Attack

On January 26th, 2023, a gang attack left six policemen dead in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. In the wake of the attack, hundreds of protesters took to the streets, resulting in barricaded roads and disrupted air traffic. The attackers had stormed the police station in Liancourt, a town in northern Haiti.

Police Commissioner Jean Bruce Myrtil reported that two officers were killed in Wednesday while four other were dragged outside and ultimately “executed.” According to research done by The National Union of Haitian Police Officers, since the start of the year, 14 police officers have lost their lives due to gangs.

The country is facing a political and economic crisis which has caused insecurity over the past two years. The UN report has claimed that the police force is “overstretched, understaffed and under-resourced”, which has likely contributed to the issue. In addition, 1,359 kidnappings were reported in 2022 and more than 2,000 murders, a 33% increase from 2021.

Overall, the citizens of Haiti are feeling the effects of the upsurge in violence and the government is working to combat it.