Two rival gang leaders in Haiti’s largest shantytown signed a truce to end armed conflict a community leader has announced. This will be the second truce signed by the rival gangs after a similar truce sign in July 2023 fell apart in a couple weeks.
Under the agreement between leaders of the G9 and G-Pep groups, roadblocks in the Cite Soleil (Sun City) shantytown of around 300,000 inhabitants were taken down, said Pastor Jean Enock Joseph, an influential figure in the community.
Like much of Port-au-Prince, Cite Soleil residents were unable to move freely in the shantytown — divided into zones controlled by the rival gangs — for fear of being caught in crossfire.
The G9 and G-Pep gangs have not clashed since February, when they joined a coalition fomenting coordinated attacks to overthrow Henry, but they had maintained the divisions within Cite Soleil until Wednesday.
The first quarter of 2024 was the deadliest for Haitians with around 2,500 people killed or injured in gang violence. In March 2024, gang violence spread throughout Port-au-Prince with the goal of obtaining the resignation of acting prime minister Ariel Henry, leading to the storming of two prisons and the release of thousands of prisoners.
The gang’s control 80 per cent of the Caribbean country’s main roads and are accused of numerous murders, rapes, looting and kidnapping for ransom. Reportedly, more than half a million children in Haiti are living in neighborhoods controlled by armed groups, which puts them at higher risk of violence, and child recruitment.
A newly established transitional government with the support of a UN-backed multinational mission led by Kenya is hoping to combat surging gang violence and tackle the resulting humanitarian crisis.
An immense task in a country ravaged by violence and corruption, and which has been without a president since the assassination of Jovenel Moise in 2021.
