Haiti Self-Defense Brigades Face Abuse Claims as Gangs Still Control 90% of Port-au-Prince
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 7
Haiti Self-Defense Brigades Face Abuse Claims as Gangs Still Control 90% of Port-au-Prince
1 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 7
Summary
Haiti’s self-defense brigades are increasingly accused of rape, kidnapping, extortion and killings, complicating U.S.-backed efforts to restore order and hold elections.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said at least 87 people were killed by locals or self-defense groups in Artibonite and Ouest from mid-April to mid-July, while women’s groups in Artibonite reported dozens of rape allegations tied to brigadiers.
Some brigades still receive backing from state institutions—through funding, uniforms or police support—even as officials discuss disarming them or integrating members not implicated in crimes into formal forces.
The problem is unfolding amid a wider collapse: gangs control an estimated 90% of Port-au-Prince, 1,408 people were killed in gang violence in April-June, and more than 1.4 million Haitians have been displaced.
Security analysts and U.N. officials warn the brigades are blurring into gangs themselves, fueling an arms race and further eroding the state’s monopoly on force.