U.S. immigration authorities arrested Haitian executive Dimitri Vorbe on charges of supporting armed gangs, following similar action against businessman Reginald Boulos; the State Department said both men’s presence in the United States posed “serious adverse foreign policy consequences,” although families deny any links to gang activity (Reuters)
U.S. Warns Mission Funds to Haiti May End if UN Plan Fails
U.S. Charge d’Affaires Henry Wooster suggested U.S. funding for the UN-backed security force may end in December if the Security Council rejects Washington’s plan to expand the force and rename it the Gang Suppression Force; the current Kenya-led mission lacks funds and equipment, with the United States having given around $15 million thus far (Reuters)
Drone Strike in Haiti Kills Thirteen
Explosive drones targeting a suspected gang leader killed at least thirteen people, including eight children, in Cité Soleil, Port-au-Prince; Haiti’s human rights network accused police of launching the attack during a gang leader’s birthday event, though officials have not commented (NYT)
The strike killed suspected gang members, but activists warned the civilian deaths could undermine trust in institutions (AP)
Haitian Police Kill Former Rebel Leader Wilfort Ferdinand
Police said officers fatally shot Ferdinand, known as “Kòmandan Ti Wil,” after he allegedly opened fire at a checkpoint in Gonaïves; his death, alongside another man, sparked protests and gunfire in the city (AP)
Gunmen Attack Police Vehicle Near Port-au-Prince
Gunmen lobbed Molotov cocktails at an armored police vehicle in Kenscoff, injuring two officers and killing a driver; the attack followed last week’s gang massacre north of the capital that displaced nearly three thousand people, as UN-backed forces struggle to contain the violence (AP)
Gangs Massacre Dozens in Haitian Fishing Village
Gangs from the Viv Ansanm coalition killed at least forty-two people, including a child and his family, in Labodrie before setting the village on fire and attacking the nearby town of Arcahaie, a local official said (AP)
U.S. Federal Grand Jury Indicts Leader of Viv Ansanm
A federal grand jury indicted the leader of Haiti’s gang federation, Jimmy Chérizier—also known as “Barbecue”—and a U.S. citizen accused of conspiring with him to violate U.S. sanctions and fund gang activities; a $5 million reward was announced for information leading to Chérizier’s arrest or conviction (AP)
Furthermore, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Haiti Ulrika Richardson said that Haiti’s humanitarian response plan is currently just 9.2 percent funded, making it “the lowest level of funding for any response plan in the world” (Reuters)
Haiti Appoints New National Police Chief
Haiti’s transitional government appointed former National Palace Security Chief Vladimir Paraison to National Police Chief as the country continues to battle gang violence (Reuters)
Laurent Saint-Cyr Assumes Rotating Presidency of Transitional Government
Saint-Cyr, a businessman, called on international partners to increase their military support to Haiti’s police (NPR)
Insecurity has risen in the country as the leadership gap following the 2021 assassination of the president continues; gangs have threatened to overthrow the interim government (AP)
Eight People Missing After Gunmen Raid Orphanage
In Kenscoff, Port-Au-Prince, gunmen raided the Sant-Hélène orphanage and kidnapped eight people, including an Irish missionary and a three-year-old child; no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack (AP; AP)
Former Senator Arrested for Conspiring Against Haitian State
Nenel Cassy, a former senator who the U.S. State Department designated as a corrupt actor in 2023, was arrested for conspiring against the state and financing criminal organizations (AP)
Diaspora and Advocacy Groups Sign Letter to Macron Demanding Reparations
Over sixty rights groups signed a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron urging France to “acknowledge and remedy” France’s wealth extraction from Haiti that has “resulted in a cycle of foreign aid dependence and entrenched debt that persists to this day”; the signatories were referring to Haiti’s payments to France as compensation for lost property and slaves after independence (Reuters)
Haiti to Send Police Officers Overseas for Training
Fritz Alphonse Jean, the leader of Haiti’s transitional presidential council, stated that foreign countries will train seven hundred Haitian forces to join a Kenyan-led UN–backed mission to combat gangs, including four hundred police officers who will be sent to Brazil for training next month (AP)
Additionally, five UNICEF employees were released after they were kidnapped for three weeks by a gang, likely for financial extortion through a ransom payment; UNICEF did not report whether any ransom was paid (NYT)
Haiti Sends 150 Soldiers to Mexico
To fight back against gangs who have taken control of up to 90 percent of Port-Au-Prince, Haiti is sending 150 soldiers to Mexico for three months of training before joining Haiti’s National Police (AP)
Violence Escalates in Artibonite Region
In a shootout with gang members in Haiti’s Artibonite region, local police forces claimed that three police officers and two civilians were killed (AP)
United States Arrests Haitian Oligarch
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained Pierre Reginald Boulos, a wealthy and powerful Haitian figure, after accusing him publicly of a “campaign of violence and gang support” while claiming he was “supporting and collaborating with Haitian gang leaders” (NYT)
Over One Ton of Cocaine Confiscated in Police Boat Raid
Off the northern Haitian coast near Tortue Island, police identified a suspected drug trafficking boat and seized over 2,300 pounds of cocaine after a shootout with passengers; two suspects died after jumping into the water, one died on shore, and a fourth was injured and arrested (AP)
UN: Roughly Five Thousand People Killed Since October 2024
According to a report from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced and five thousand people have been killed since October 2024 amid gang violence and instability, particularly near Port-Au-Prince (Reuters)
Jamaican Prime Minister Emphasizes Need for Increased Support to Haiti
Speaking at the CARICOM Summit, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said that the community must join forces and “redouble [its] efforts… to garner support for the mission in Haiti,” and that Haiti cannot be left “at the mercy of gangs” (Jamaica Information Service)
Iconic Haitian Hotel Burned Down by Gangs
Amid heavy gunfire by gangs in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti’s Grand Hotel Olôffson was burned down; the hotel was internationally famous and attracted “artists, intellectuals, and politicians from Haiti and beyond” (AP)
Gangs Nearly Take Control of Port-au-Prince
Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime Ghada Fathy Waly told the UN Security Council that criminal groups in Haiti have taken control of nearly 90 percent of Port-au-Prince, and the violence is spilling into previously safe areas outside of the capital; UN Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca said that without increased international support, state presence in Port-au-Prince could completely collapse (AP)
Federal Judge Rules Trump Administration’s Deportation of Haitians Unlawful
A federal judge in New York determined that the Trump administration’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians in the United States violated a TPS statute requiring a certain amount of notice time before updating a designation, and the decision was deemed unlawful (AP)
Trump Administration Ends Temporary Protected Status for Haitians
The Department of Homeland Security announced that it would terminate Temporary Protected Status for roughly five hundred thousand Haitians in the United States, citing the improvement of conditions in Haiti; the director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition said that the deportations, which are expected to begin in early September, could be “a death sentence for many” (AP)
Attack by Armed Group Forces Thousands to Flee
In the La Chapelle commune, armed groups set fire to the police station, District School Office, and numerous private homes; the violence forced 8,890 people to flee the area (OHCA)
Authorities’ Drone Use Has Allegedly Killed Three Hundred Gang Members
A report by the National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH), a Haitian human rights organization, reported that Haitian authorities have killed three hundred gang members and injured four hundred more since they began using drones to combat gang violence in March; the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who provided drones to Haiti’s government, claimed that the strikes were illegal because the drones were not given to carry munitions (NYT)