The last district of Port-au-Prince that retained a semblance of normality, Passion-ville, seems to have become the new target of armed gangs. On Monday morning, 15 bullet-riddled bodies were found in one of the city’s main arteries.
The images are gruesome: about fifteen bodies, riddled with bullets, covered in blood, lying on the road in one of the main arteries of one of the so far preserved districts of Port-Prince: Passion-ville. It is the last place Haitians could still walk without fear of being kidnapped or killed by a stray bullet. Banks remained open there while in other districts of the city, all banking institutions were down, with the gang in complete control. Residents say that during the night from Sunday to Monday, armed groups invaded the neighborhoods of Leboul and Thomasin, on the heights of Passion-ville.
The Invisible Police
According to The News writer, several private residences were looted in the same area. Gangsters systematically ransacked their residences, often luxurious residences. High-ranking members of the Haitian administration were the targets of these robberies: for example, Judge Womer Demesieux of the Superior Court of Auditors. A bank, a gas station and private businesses were the targets of the attacks. One of the most surprising things that residents of this neighborhood report is the absence of any police response. According to The Novelist, a local resident saw a police tank trying to get to Thomasin. But he was unable to get there, blocked by roadblocks erected by thugs on the streets leading to the neighborhood.
Already on Friday, a wind of panic blew through the Passion-ville district. A witness, who prefers to remain anonymous, reports that around two in the afternoon, “The rumor of a demonstration coming from Delmas provoked an immediate reaction. All the shops pulled down their iron curtains, traffic stopped and everyone tried to get to their homes as quickly as possible.. Once again residents reported a complete absence of police on the streets. “There was only one police officer on duty in front of the police station” Disappointed, the resident reports.
A gang collective formed in late February, calling itself Viv Ansam, promised in a press release that it would organize a market in Passion-ville, which may have sparked panic on Friday. But now, the gang’s funeral activity in Passion-ville has been proven with the discovery of Panamericana’s bodies.
On Friday evening, the Haitian National Police attempted an operation in the stronghold of Jimmy Charizier aka Barbecue. This is the lower Delmas area. But their only objective was to unblock the roads and not to intervene against Jimmy Charizier.
A UNICEF container was looted
In the port area, which Haitian authorities claimed to have regained control of for a week, there was much looting of containers. The most dramatic: a UNICEF container containing medical equipment for children suffering from critical illnesses and whose care is greatly called into question by the situation. In a press release, the UNICEF representative in Haiti declared “Depriving children of life-saving medical products when the health system is collapsing is a violation of their fundamental rights. This happens at a critical time, when children need it the most.”.
