New gang fighting in Haiti kills 20, displaces thousands

Parks turn into a makeshift outdoor shelter.

Fighting among gangs in recent days killed at least 20 people, wounded nearly two dozen and caused thousands to flee their homes, Haiti's Civil Protection Agency said Wednesday, April 27, 2022.

Officials said the fighting began Sunday in four neighbourhoods in the capital of Port-au-Prince, north of the international airport. At least a dozen homes were burned down as thousands of people fled their communities, with some temporarily staying in the yard of a local mayor's office.

A family of eight, including six children, was among those killed since Sunday, authorities said. Schools and businesses in the area remain closed as thousands of families with children temporarily stayed in a park near a local mayor's office.

“They need water, food, supplies,” said Jean Raymond Dorcely, who runs a small grassroots community organisation. “They had to leave with nothing in their hands.” He said that the neighbourhood is usually quiet and that his child often plays in the park now turned into a makeshift outdoor shelter.

“I can see kids crying because they're hungry and families don't have anything to provide to them,” he said, adding that needs were growing as the fighting continued. “I don't know what it's going to be like tomorrow.”

Authorities said one bullet also hit an empty United Nations Humanitarian Air Service helicopter stationed near the airport.

“The conflict is likely to escalate in the coming days, leading to further casualties and new population migrations,” the Civil Protection Agency said.