Description: One of Haiti’s most dangerous gangs, the Gran Grif gang, has launched a large – scale operation in the central Artibonite region in the country, consolidating its presence and territorial control. Civilians in the region have fled in large numbers towards the coastal city of Saint Marc, fearing for their safety and blaming the government for focusing the security forces in the country’s capital, Port au Prince, where the Viv Ansanm gang controls most of the territory. The peacekeeping mission led by Kenya, alongside the recently approved initiative submitted by the US and Panama before the UN is yet to deliver any results as issues have emerged with countries willing to volunteer their security forces and operational resources. The cities of Bercy and Pont – Sonde have already fallen under Gran Grif’s control as the gang is expanding its territorial control alongside cities vital to supply lines as well as arms proliferation and potential humanitarian corridors. The country is experiencing widespread hunger while the gang violence has already displaced more than 1.4 million people.
Impact: The stalled international efforts combined with the lack of funding of the UN and the general portrayal of the US under the Trump administration are factors delivering the aggravation of the gang crisis in Haiti. The initiative submitted by Panama and the US to complement the Kenyan – led peacekeeping mission with additional 5 thousand security troops has been postponed while the lack of capacities in the domestic security apparatus only further enables the influential gangs to expand their territorial control and suffocate the non – existent economy which in turn incentivizes illegal trade, scaling crime rates and the exacerbation of the devastating humanitarian conditions. The expansions towards the central parts of the country indicates that gangs have a stable access and steady supply of weapons, logistical means and finances to expand their operations. Without swift international involvement the crisis would further expand, potentially increasing migration rates and even further deterioration of the humanitarian crisis.