Haitian Refugees Stranded in Shelters as Gang Violence Displaces Thousands

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A violent gang unleashed havoc in the Cite Soleil slum, leaving a trail of destruction by destroying homes, killing, and assaulting residents. One family, consisting of four members, ended up on the streets of Port-au-Prince, only to meet a tragic fate when they were hit by a truck while sleeping.

In the aftermath of this devastating incident, Jean-Kere Almicar, a former resident of Scranton, Pennsylvania who relocated to Haiti in 2007, opened his home to the grieving parents. Almicar’s act of kindness didn’t stop there; he continued to provide shelter for additional families, resulting in nearly 200 people seeking refuge in his front yard and nearby areas.

These individuals are just a fraction of the 165,000 Haitians forced to flee their homes due to a surge in gang violence, leaving them with no place to go in a city with a population of nearly 3 million.

Almicar, using his own funds, expressed his helplessness: “There was nothing I could do except tell them to come in. Their home doesn’t exist anymore. If they go back, they’re going to be killed.”

While approximately 79,000 people found temporary accommodation with friends or family, another 48,000 ended up in makeshift shelters like Almicar’s or sought refuge in parks, churches, schools, and abandoned buildings within and beyond Port-au-Prince. This dire situation has overwhelmed non-profit organizations and NGOs.

Joseph Wilfred, one of several volunteers managing an abandoned government building in Port-au-Prince housing nearly 1,000 people, including his own family, lamented the lack of government efforts in relocating the affected individuals.

For almost a year, tens of thousands of Haitians have endured the harsh conditions of these makeshift shelters. They sleep on the hard floor or flattened cardboard boxes, while their belongings are crammed into large rice bags against the walls of overcrowded rooms. Disturbingly, the gangs responsible for displacing them, who control up to 80% of the capital, have now resorted to recruiting children as young as 8 from these shelters.

Lenlen Désir Fondala, a woman residing in Almicar’s shelter, tearfully shared her tragic experience of her 5-year-old son being snatched while they were living in an outdoor park in November. She still dreams of him, overcome with grief.

The shelters and the neighborhoods ravaged by gangs also face a high prevalence of rape. Lovely Benjamin, a 26-year-old survivor, bears scars on her body from being shot and attacked with a machete by gang members. Her 4-year-old son carries a machete scar on his head. Homeless and struggling to find work, Benjamin lost the items she used to sell when the gangs set fire to her belongings, including rice and oil. She lacks the resources to rebuild her business. Tragically, gang members killed her partner and set his body on fire.

Benjamin and her son, along with other residents from Cite Soleil, now reside in Almicar’s front yard. The area is scattered with soaked clothing due to recent floods. The rocky ground, serving as their sleeping and sitting area, also doubles as a makeshift kitchen where some cook beans and vegetables on small charcoal stoves.

Among Benjamin’s neighbors are Januèlle Dafka and her 15-year-old daughter, Titi Paul, both victims of rape and impregnated by gang members. Another neighbor, Rose Dupont, shared her traumatic experience of being nine months pregnant when she was shot in the shoulder, beaten, and raped by four gang members. Her ordeal resulted in a miscarriage. The Big Big News respects the privacy of victims of sexual assault and refrains from revealing their identities unless they choose to come forward, as in the case of Dafka, Paul, and Dupont.

These women carry envelopes containing detailed medical records, hoping that someone will assist them in finding a safe place to live.

For now, they seek solace in the yard of Almicar, affectionately known as “Big Papa.”

Dovenald Cetoute, a 33-year-old resident, expressed gratitude for Almicar’s unwavering support: “He has been investing his time, his money, not to mention his strength to keep us safe.”

Unfortunately, not everyone exhibits such benevolence. The police have been evicting people from makeshift shelters, and neighbors have threatened to expel those who have been left homeless due to fears of gang members hiding among them.

The International Organization for Migration, a branch of the United Nations, has assisted over 3,400 individuals in finding homes in safer areas. They also provide families with approximately $350 to cover one year’s rent. However, due to the continuous invasion of previously deemed safe communities by gangs, an increasing number of families are returning to shelters. Even makeshift shelters are relocating to other areas because of the ongoing violence, as reported by Philippe Branchat, the head of the IOM in Haiti.

“We frequently hear these terrible stories,” Branchat acknowledged, highlighting the agency’s limited access to about half of the makeshift shelters due to gang violence. “The situation is truly dire.”

In these shelters, people can barely afford to eat one mango per day, and malnutrition affects many young children.

At the abandoned government building managed by Wilfred as a makeshift shelter, a woman’s cries pierced through the air as the lifeless body of her 1-year-old goddaughter lay on the floor, wrapped in a towel. The child had succumbed to suspected cholera just hours ago.

The previous night, a 6-year-old boy met a similar fate, with health workers suspecting cholera as the cause of death.

Later that day, an ambulance arrived to transport two other children battling cholera. The shelter, lacking power and running water, had only two makeshift holes in the ground serving as toilets for nearly 1,000 people.

The deteriorating conditions prompt urgent discussions during the biweekly meetings organized by the shelter’s leaders.

Sony Pierre, a spokesperson for the shelter committee, expressed deep concern about the living conditions. “Look at this catastrophe,” Pierre gestured to the scene around him, where aggressive flies buzzed amidst the suffocating heat. “This is an emergency… We are seeking assistance to live with dignity.”

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Contributions to this report were made by Evens Sanon, a journalist for Big Big News.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about displaced Haitian refugees

More about displaced Haitian refugees

• Violence forces thousands of Haitians to flee their homes
• International Organization for Migration (IOM)
• Cholera outbreak in Haiti
• United Nations’ response to the humanitarian crisis in Haiti
• Impact of gang violence on Haitian communities