Haiti’s Depleted Police Are ‘Begging for Help’
MIAMI — Gangs broke into the house of Haiti’s police chief, Frantz Elbé, in March, set it afire and killed his dog.
Mr. Elbé and his family were not home at the time. But the attack sent a message through police ranks and to residents of the capital, Port-au-Prince. “It symbolized that no one was safe,” said Reginald Delva, a Haitian security consultant.
Haiti has faced an onslaught by armed gangs that had seized control of many parts of Port-au-Prince. But Haiti’s outgunned and outnumbered police have managed — for now — to hold their own and defend the few government buildings still under state control.
As a result, the once much-maligned police have acquired some respect. “The police have made important efforts,” said Gédéon Jean, director of the Haiti-based Center for the Analysis and Research of Human Rights. “It’s still insufficient, but now they have the population on their side.”
Gangs control entire neighborhoods in many parts of Port-au-Prince. They engage in extortion and kidnapping to finance their operations.
The police have helped ease gang control of the capital’s airport, allowing military aircraft to land. Commercial flights are scheduled to restart this month for the first time since early March. And the police also retook control of access roads to Port-au-Prince’s port, so ships can now dock and unload.
The offensive by the gangs, which began in February, did achieve their goal of ousting Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
Haiti’s police are due to receive help: a 2,500-member multinational force led by Kenya approved by the United Nations and financed largely by the United States. But the contingent was put on hold because Kenya’s leaders are waiting for a new Haitian government to be installed.
A transitional council tasked with bringing political stability has taken over until a new government is formed.
Police have been “begging for help for months now,” said Bill O’Neill, the U.N. expert on human rights in Haiti. “I’m amazed they’re still hanging on.” In the first three months of 2024, more than 2,500 people were killed or injured in Haiti. Gangs have targeted the police as a display of power and to sow terror, according to experts.
Since January, at least 24 officers have been killed and five have disappeared after being ambushed by gangs, according to Mr. Elbé. About 220 officers have resigned and 170 abandoned the ranks, he added.
Police are at a disadvantage, experts say, because they lack good intelligence capability and equipment to target heavily fortified gang bases. The fragility of the police worries experts, who warn that the gangs will not be easily defeated even with the U.N.-backed forces.
“The international deployment will have to be specifically trained to conduct operations in dense urban environments, where gangs will also likely employ guerrilla tactics that increases the risk to civilians,” said Lewis Galvin, an analyst with Janes, the defense intelligence firm.