1 dead, several wounded in Haiti after armed gangs target consular corp armored vehicles

Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald on Jan 21, 2025

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A day after opening fire on an armored U.S. embassy van and wounding a local hire, armed gangs in Haiti on Tuesday fired on three vehicles, two of them armored and fitted with diplomatic plates, and left five people injured with gunshot wounds and a sixth person dead, a local security firm said.

Among the injured is a family member of the honorary consul of India, who was shot in the leg when the armored vehicle she was riding in was fired on. Two other vehicles also were shot up as they traveled along the Airport Road in Port-au-Prince, according to a report by Halo Solutions, which tracks security incidents in the volatile Caribbean nation. One of the drivers suffered an abdominal wound and is in critical condition, while the other sustained injuries to the leg and is in stable condition.

A third vehicle, which wasn’t armored, was also hit with gunfire, killing a female passenger. The driver and another passenger escaped and the car was set on fire, the firm said. The survivors later showed up at La Paix Hospital, which wasn’t too far from the attack, with gunshot injuries.

“This attack occurred during routine travel, underscoring vulnerabilities in the route,” the firm said, highlighting the targeting of armored vehicles with consular corps or diplomatic license plates in Port-au-Prince over a 24 hour-span.

The attacks all seem to have occurred in the vicinity of the Toussaint Louverture International Airport. Security experts have called for more attention to be given to area after armed gangs in November fired on three U.S. commercial jetliners, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration to issue an ongoing ban against U.S. airlines flying into Port-au-Prince.

“Initial reports suggest that these attacks were retaliatory actions by gang members in response to recent police and Multinational Security Support (MSS) operations,” the firm said. “High-risk areas include Terre Noire, specifically between Barbancourt and Route 9, the vicinity around the U.S. embassy, and La Paix near Visa Lodge.”

Armed groups have become increasingly dangerous and bold in Haiti where more than 5,600 people were killed last year in gang-fueled violence, and more than 1 million are now displaced.

The latest attacks come a day before Colombian President Gustavo Petro is scheduled to visit the southeastern city of Jacmel, the first visit by any president from the South American country in over two decades. Also on Wednesday, the United Nations Security Council will hold its quarterly meeting in New York to discuss measures being taken to tackle the country’s political, security and humanitarian crisis.

Among those slated to address the Security Council is Robert Alvarez, the foreign minister of the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. The Dominican Republic is among several countries in the region calling on the Security Council to transform the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support mission into a formal U.N. peacekeeping operation in order to guarantee its funding and personnel.

The current mission, which was primarily funded by the Biden administration before it left office on Monday, has struggled to contain the violence amid a lack of funding, equipment and security personnel.

On Monday, amid a furry of executive orders he signed, President Donald Trump announced the temporary suspension of all U.S. foreign assistance programs for 90 days pending reviews to determine whether they are aligned with his policy goals. It is unclear how the order affects assistance to Haiti, which relies overwhelming on the U.S. not just financial support for security, including the Haiti National Police, but for humanitarian and health programs. The U.S. is Haiti’s biggest donor.