On September 20, 2025, at around 7 a.m., dozens of children ran through the Simon Pele neighborhood in northern Port-au-Prince. They played among the colorful alleyways controlled for years by the gang of the same name waiting for Albert Steevenson, alias Djouma, to hand out toys as part of his birthday celebration. But quadcopter drones from an official operation, armed with explosives, were also flying through the alleyways with a clear objective: to kill the elusive Haitian gang leader.
Today is Saturday, Feb. 7, the 38th day of 2026. There are 327 days left in the year. Today in history: On Feb. 7, 1991, Jean-Bertrand Aristide was inaugurated as the first democratically elected president of Haiti. (He was overthrown by the military the following September.) Also on this date: In 1904, the Great Baltimore Fire began; one of the worst city fires in American history, it destroyed over 1,500 buildings in central Baltimore.
The Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation issued the decree late on Friday, citing the parties' failure to meet their legal obligations. Beyond stripping them of their legal status, the order froze their assets and banned the use of their names, logos and emblems, with a government-appointed curator assigned to oversee the transfer of their holdings.
President Patrice Talon's governing coalition is projected to strengthen its already powerful position in Sunday's elections, with the main opposition Democrats party barred from the local polls. The streets of economic capital Cotonou were calm as polling stations opened at 7am local time (06:00 GMT) on Sunday, according to the AFP news agency. Polls are scheduled to close at 5pm (16:00 GMT).
Taking a taxi in Havana is an increasingly difficult mission, growing more complicated and expensive from one day to the next as drivers run out of the rationed gasoline they receive. When you say taxi, you might find an almendron—a classic car used for public transportation—a gacela—one of the government's yellow minibuses—a cocotaxi—a motorized tricycle with a shell—a bicitaxi—a man pedaling for tourists under an umbrella—a motorcycle, an electric tricycle, or even a horse-drawn carriage.
Move comes after council tried to oust PM Fils-Aime and the US recently deployed warship to waters near Haiti's capital. Haiti's Transitional Presidential Council has handed power to US-backed Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime after almost two years of tumultuous governance marked by rampant gang violence that has left thousands dead. The transfer of power between the nine-member transitional council and 54-year-old businessman Fils-Aime took place on Saturday under tight security, given Haiti's unstable political climate.