Haiti Doesn't Need War. It Needs Peace.

"A 28-year-old Haitian, who had left the country for the United States and been trying to relocate the family he left behind, told a local news outlet that his brother, sister, and father had all been killed in the police operation. He had been scrambling to get them to a safer place for months. But the search for a new family home had been hampered by landlords' refusal to rent to anybody from one of Haiti's impoverished neighborhoods."

"The government told residents to leave, but few had anywhere to go. The day the family intended to move, the police began their attack. The man's father and brother were killed by gunfire while inside their house; then a drone fell, instantly killing his sister. In total, nearly 120 people were killed in just one neighborhood, a local human rights organization later revealed, almost half of whom were civilians."

"After years of steady descent, of seemingly ever-increasing violence and economic hardship, many in Haiti were understandably relieved to finally see the state's security forces hit back against the bandi, despite the human toll—such is the desperation for an opportunity to breathe again. After weeks of the most aggressive security operations Haiti had seen in years, the police were able to reestablish a presence in an important commercial hub downtown."

In early January, Haitian police, private military contractors, and Kenyan security forces conducted a major offensive to reclaim downtown Port-au-Prince from armed groups. The operation involved explosive drones and ground combat in densely populated areas. A Haitian man attempting to relocate his family faced discrimination from landlords unwilling to rent to residents from impoverished neighborhoods associated with gangs. When the family finally planned to move, police operations began, killing his father, brother, and sister. Nearly 120 people died in one neighborhood alone, with almost half being civilians. Despite the human cost, many Haitians welcomed the security forces' aggressive response after years of escalating violence and economic decline. The operations temporarily restored some stability and state presence in commercial areas. A UN-authorized Gang Suppression Force was expected to deploy more fully later in the year.

Read at The Nation