| January 2023 Port-au-Prince police killings | |
|---|---|
| Part of the gang war in Haiti | |
| Location | Carrefour-Feuilles and Liancourt, Port-au-Prince, Haiti |
| Date | January 10-26, 2023 |
| Target | Haitian National Police |
| Deaths | 18 |
| Perpetrator | Gan Grif (per PNH) |
| Gang war in Haiti |
|---|
| Background |
| Battles |
| Attacks |
Between January 10 and 26, 2023, eighteen police officers were killed by Gan Grif, a gang operating in Port-au-Prince. The killings sparked riots in Port-au-Prince by Haitian police officers and police-affiliated gang Fantom 509, along with international condemnation.
Background
Main article: Gang war in Haiti Further information: Haitian crisis (2018–present)Since the government's de facto collapse in 2018, Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince has become a hotbed of anarchic gang activity with brutal murders and spates of killing. This was exacerbated in 2021 by the assassination of Jovenel Moïse, leading most of the gangs in Port-au-Prince to ally with G9 or G-Pep. During Ariel Henry's administration, following the death of Moise, seventy-eight police officers had been killed.
Killings
The first killing occurred on January 10, in the Carrefour-Feuilles neighborhood. Officers Denis Dempsey and Previlus Jean-Daddy were murdered by unknown perpetrators, and several other police officers were wounded in the attack. On January 17, a convoy of the National Police (PNH) came under attack by gang members, killing one and injuring one more. That same day, officer Joseph Jean Gardy was kidnapped. Five police officers were ambushed on January 20, with three of them dying in the attack. One more was kidnapped in the attack.
The largest ambush occurred at the Liancourt police station in Artibonite on January 26, when six police officers were ambushed by the Savien and Mowodwe factions of Gan Grif. The attack began at 7am, with a second attack occurring at 10am. A seventh police officer died shortly afterward. One police officer was killed in Delmas 52 the following day. The PNH stated that Gan Grif still has the bodies of those killed. Videos from AP showed gang members with the dismembered bodies of the officers.
Protests
Protests and riots broke out on January 26 by Haitian police officers and members of Fantom 509, affiliated with the police. The protesters called for the resignation of Henry, some calling for a revolution, and for a crackdown on the gangs. American ambassador to Haiti Brian A. Nichols condemned the killings. Around the time of the protests, unelected Prime Minister Ariel Henry was arriving back in Haiti from a meeting in Miami, Florida. Protesters broke into Toussaint Louverture International Airport searching for him, but he was in another section of the airport. Meanwhile, protesters also broke into Henry's residence in reprisal for the attacks.
The director of the union of the PNH stated that the January attacks were the largest instance of attacks against Haitian police, stating "police officers are being hunted by the gangs."
References
- ^ "Gangs of Haiti: Expansion, power, and an escalating crisis" (PDF). Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. October 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
- ^ "Haitian gangs' gruesome murders of police spark protests as calls mount for U.S., Canada to intervene - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
- ^ "Haiti - FLASH : 18 police officers victims of armed gangs in 16 days - HaitiLibre.com : Haiti news 7/7". www.haitilibre.com. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
- "iciHaiti - PNH : Attack on a patrol car, 1 policeman killed another injured - iciHaiti.com : All the news in brief 7/7". IciHaiti.com. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
- "De nouvelles victimes dans les rangs de la PNH provoquent des scènes de colère dans le pays . Le Nouvelliste". lenouvelliste.com. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
- "iciHaiti - Insecurity : 6 police officers killed in clashes with the «Gran grif» gang - iciHaiti.com : All the news in brief 7/7". IciHaiti.com. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
- ^ Charles, Jacqueline (January 27, 2023). "Violence erupts in Haiti during protests by police officers after gangs kill six cops". Miami Herald. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
- "Haitian police rebels protest is paralyzing Port-au-Prince". AP News. 2023-01-26. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
- "Haitian police rebels protest gang killings of officers". jamaica-gleaner.com. 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
- ^ Mérancourt, Widlore; Parker, Claire (2023-03-31). "Haitian police, angered by officer killings, attack PM's home, airport". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-01-22.