The attacks occurred in Haiti’s Artibonite region over the weekend, with gangs torching homes and killing several civilians as large numbers of residents fled toward the coast; the attack prompted emergency police measures and allowed the gangs to increase their control over central Haiti, as violence continues surging across the country (AP)
Human rights organizations later condemned national authorities for failing to mount a sufficient response to the attacks, highlighting incidents in Pont-Sondé that they say killed twenty-five people and injured dozens of others (Le Nouvelliste)
End to TPS for Haitians
The Trump administration announced that Temporary Protected Status for roughly 350,000 Haitians will expire in early February, reversing the Biden-era extension even as violence and displacement escalate in Haiti; the announcement comes despite court orders earlier this year that previously blocked similar attempts to end the program (Federal Register; Reuters)
U.S. Visa Ban on Haitian Official
Washington placed restrictions on Fritz Alphonse Jean, a member of the Transitional Presidential Council, accusing him of aiding criminal groups and hindering efforts to curb gang violence; Jean denied the allegations (AP)
U.S. Reinforcements at Port-au-Prince Embassy
Following clashes with armed gang members last week, the U.S. military deployed a new contingent of U.S. Marines to its embassy in Haiti, affirming that it remains committed to supporting anti-gang operations throughout the country (State Department)
U.S. Forces Clash With Gang Members
A spokesperson for the U.S. Marine Corps said the exchange of fire occurred when gang members attacked Marines protecting the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince; no U.S. forces were injured (AP)
Deadly Clashes in Port-au-Prince
Security forces killed seven gang members during an operation in the Croix des Bouquets neighborhood, which is controlled by the Viv Ansanm gang; armed assailants downed and tried to capture a police helicopter, although officers destroyed it before the assailants could do so (AP)
Haitian Parties Announce Election Deal
More than seventy political parties and groups signed a pact calling for the Presidential Transitional Council to end its mandate in February 2026 and be replaced by a one-year transition led by a dual executive; the agreement sets a deadline for nationwide polls to be held by late 2026 (Le Nouvelliste)
Haiti Pushes Election Efforts
Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé met with electoral authorities, security agencies, and foreign partners to advance preparations for the long-delayed national elections; his office said Fils-Aimé would soon sign an electoral decree to facilitate election planning (Le Nouvelliste)
Meanwhile, a UN report recorded over 1,247 deaths and more than 700 injuries in Haiti between July and September, attributing most deaths to operations by Haitian security forces, alongside some gang and vigilante violence (UN)
U.S. Aid for Haiti
The United States announced an additional $2.5 million aid package to support Haitian recovery following Hurricane Melissa, bringing total U.S. aid for the country to $11 million since the hurricane; Washington has also provided support to other impacted Caribbean states (U.S. State Department)
Armed Attacks in Port-au-Prince
Gunfire was reported in at least three localities as armed gangs attempted to seize neighborhoods, though security forces repelled the attack; in a separate incident, gunmen killed two individuals in the Fermathe 56 locality (Le Nouvelliste)
Hurricane Melissa Death Toll Climbs
Deaths in Haiti resulting from Hurricane Melissa have risen to forty-three, while thirteen others remain missing, as flooding and landslides continued across dozens of southern towns; nearby Jamaica has also reported thirty-two fatalities and dozens of cut-off communities (AP)
Haiti declared a state of emergency until February 3, 2026, covering the six departments hit hardest by the hurricane (LeNouvelliste)
New UN Force Conducts Security Operations
The UN-backed Gang Repression Force said several gunmen were killed Sunday during joint operations with police in Simon Pelé; the operations follow additional actions in Artibonite last week that pushed back Gran Grif fighters (LeNouvelliste)
White House Pushes Continued Trade With Haiti
The Trump administration has asked Congress to extend the HOPE/HELP trade program, as Haitian industry leaders suggest that further delays could trigger irreversible economic damage; U.S. diplomats likewise frame renewal as key to economic stability (LeNouvelliste))
Hurricane Melissa Kills Twenty-Five in Haiti
Extreme winds and flooding caused twenty-five deaths, along with four in neighboring Jamaica, while also leaving tens of thousands without power and destroying more than a thousand homes, worsening Haiti’s humanitarian crisis (Reuters)
Hurricane Melissa Approaches Haiti
The UN World Food Program has positioned emergency food supplies in Haiti ahead of the hurricane, but following budget cuts, it has only around 15 percent of what it typically holds for disaster response in the country (NYT)
Tropical Storm in Haiti
At least three people died and five were injured as Tropical Storm Melissa brought severe rain and flooding to Haiti, with the National Hurricane Center warning of “life-threatening” flash floods and landslides; the storm, which could escalate into a Category 4 hurricane, threatens to further exacerbate dire humanitarian conditions across the country (NBC)
Surge in Kidnappings in Haiti
The Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace (CE-JILAP) warned the increase was most prevalent in Delmas and Pétion-Ville municipalities of Port-au-Prince, following months of relative calm; human rights advocates say the resurgence reflects broader gang mobilization tied to upcoming elections and the February 7 political transition (Nouvelliste)
Haitian Elections
UN officials asked interim authorities in Haiti to set a general election date before the self-imposed February 2026 deadline, citing persistent gang violence and political paralysis; over two thousand people were killed between June and August as gangs tightened control of Port-au-Prince, per the UN (AP)
UK Sanctions Two Haitians
The sanctions include asset freezes and travel bans targeting gang leader Kempes Sanon and former presidential security chief Dimitri Herard, both of whom were sanctioned by the United States and United Nations days earlier under accusations of orchestrating attacks and trafficking arms to sustain Haiti’s gang violence (Reuters)
Sanctions on Haitian Figures
The United States and UN sanctioned former presidential security head Dimitri Herard and gang leader Kempes Sanon for aiding the Viv Ansanm coalition, which Washington designated a foreign terrorist organization earlier this year; the UN resolution also ordered an arms embargo on Haiti (AP)
Doctors Without Borders Shutters Haiti Site
Doctors Without Borders permanently closed its emergency center in Turgeau, Port-au-Prince, citing escalating gang violence that has made operations too dangerous; over 60 percent of health facilities in the city are now non-functional (AP)
Gunfire Interrupts Haitian Leadership Meeting
The gunfire broke out in Port-au-Prince as Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé and the transitional presidential council held a rare meeting at the National Palace that aimed to symbolize the reclamation of gang-held territory; the violence underscored the continued fragility of state authority as a new UN-backed force is being organized to stabilize Haiti (AP)
UN Condemns Haiti’s Use of Drones
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk told the Human Rights Council that Haiti’s police have used “unnecessary and disproportionate” lethal force, with government drone strikes killing at least 559 people this year and likely violating international law; he also reported that police have summarily executed 174 alleged gang members (Reuters)
UN Vote on Haiti
The UN Security Council voted to expand an international security mission in Haiti from roughly one thousand personnel to more than five thousand; Haiti’s transitional government requested the expansion, which the United States and Panama spearheaded at the Security Council (Guardian)
The multinational mission, in operation since June 2024, is authorized by a UN resolution but not administered by the UN Security Council (UNSC)
Haitian Leader Calls for International Support
Laurent Saint-Cyr, head of Haiti’s transitional presidential council, told the UN General Assembly that the country faces a “war” between heavily armed gangs and civilians; he asked for increased global support and backed a joint U.S.-Panama plan for a 5,550-strong UN force to replace the current Kenyan-led mission, which is underfunded (AP)