Armed gangs opened fire on a United Nations helicopter carrying 18 people Thursday as it attempted to land in Port-au-Prince, marking a significant escalation in Haiti’s spiraling violence that has already displaced thousands of residents from the capital.
The helicopter, carrying three crew members and 15 passengers, sustained multiple bullet impacts but landed safely with no injuries reported, according to a UN source speaking on condition of anonymity. The attack comes just five months after the capital’s main international airport reopened following a prolonged closure due to coordinated gang assaults.
The incident coincides with intensifying violence in nearby Arcahaie, where approximately 50 suspected gang members died this week after attacking the coastal town northwest of the capital. Local officials confirmed at least a dozen gunmen drowned when their boat capsized during the assault, which began Monday with attackers burning homes and vehicles.
The attacks are attributed to the Viv Ansanm gang coalition, whose recent operations have forced more than 10,000 people from their homes in Port-au-Prince within a week, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration. More than half the displaced have crowded into 14 makeshift shelters, including schools, while others seek refuge with relatives.
The surge in violence challenges the effectiveness of a UN-backed Kenyan police mission deployed to combat gang activity. Gangs currently control more than 80% of Port-au-Prince, leaving 700,000 people homeless and claiming thousands of lives. U.S. officials and Haitian authorities have warned that the Kenyan-led mission lacks adequate personnel and funding, advocating for its replacement with a full UN peacekeeping force.
In Arcahaie, where fighting continues, local police official Réné has urgently requested reinforcements from military and special police units as residents and law enforcement attempt to contain gang members who ran out of ammunition and scattered into surrounding areas.
