Artibonite, Haiti (Le Floridien) — Heavily armed gangs extended their territorial control in Haiti over the weekend with a major assault in the Artibonite region, killing civilians and forcing hundreds to flee as homes burned and gunfire echoed into the night. The renewed violence comes just months after Haitian authorities repeatedly announced they had signed a contract with private security firm Vectus Global — founded by Erik Prince — to help combat gang groups, a deal finalized in March 2025.
Despite those assurances, police in Artibonite issued urgent calls for backup, warning that 50% of the region has now fallen under gang control. A police union said losing both Artibonite and the neighboring West department represents the most serious security collapse in modern Haitian history.
The attacks targeted several towns, including Bercy and Pont-Sondé, where local officials confirmed nearly a dozen deaths, among them a mother and her child. Survivors fled toward Saint-Marc, where crowds gathered Monday to demand government intervention. Some said they were ready to take up arms themselves.
“Give me a gun — I’m going to fight the gangs!” shouted one resident who escaped the assault. Others attempted to force their way into the mayor’s office, declaring they would no longer rely on the state for protection.
Guerby Simeus, a Pont-Sondé official, said that gangs remained in control of the area days after the violence and that police reinforcements had not arrived. Activists said community self-defense groups were the only ones resisting the attackers on the ground.
The Gran Grif gang, considered one of the most ruthless in the country, is blamed for the assault. The group previously carried out a massacre in Pont-Sondé in October 2024, killing at least 100 people. Gran Grif’s leader, along with a former legislator accused of supplying weapons to the gang, has been sanctioned by the United Nations and the U.S. government.
As the attacks unfolded, frustration intensified over the government’s earlier claims that the deal with Vectus Global would bring rapid results in the fight against gangs. Many residents questioned why the intervention has not materialized while violence continues to spread beyond Port-au-Prince.
“I heard heavy shooting all weekend. Why don’t they send drones here?” one resident said. “It feels like they don’t want to destroy this gang.”
Killings in the Artibonite and Centre regions have tripled compared with last year, according to U.N. figures. More than 1.4 million people are now displaced nationwide, and over half the population faces crisis-level hunger as gangs block major roads connecting key food-producing areas.
Members of Haiti’s transitional presidential council also criticized the government’s inability to stop the assaults, saying the population continues to suffer while promises of renewed security remain unfulfilled.
Officials from Haiti’s National Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Meanwhile, residents in Artibonite are left to defend themselves as gangs tighten their hold across the country — and government pledges of foreign security assistance remain out of sight.
