Police Seizure of Haitian Hub from Gangs Marks Rare Victory for Authorities 

Haitian police recaptured a vital telecommunications hub from heavily armed gangs this week, marking a significant and rare operational success for the authorities, Africanews reported. 

The operation started before dawn Monday at the Téléco site in Kenscoff, once a quiet neighborhood in the metropolitan area of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and continued for about two hours. 

According to Michel-Ange Louis Jeune, spokesperson for Haiti’s National Police, after overpowering the gang members, officers seized a large stockpile of weapons, including automatic rifles with erased serial numbers, and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition. 

The operation marks a rare victory for Haitian authorities and the United Nations-backed mission led by Kenyan police, who have struggled to curb the powerful gangs vying for dominance over Port-au-Prince, the Associated Press wrote. 

Police described the successful raid as a clear statement of intent from the new commander, André Jonas Vladimir Paraison. 

The hub had been seized last week by Viv Ansanm, a powerful gang federation, which this year was designated a foreign terrorist organization by the US. It had briefly halted internet services and air traffic control but officials later said the impact on aviation was minimal. 

In a video, a gang member identified as Didi threatened the government, saying it had less than a week to negotiate or he would “burn the entire system down,” without specifying any demands. 

Footage also showed gang members dismantling servers and motherboards. 

The group is known for targeting critical infrastructure, having previously shut down Haiti’s main international airport for months and stormed prisons, freeing 4,000 inmates last year. 

Despite this important tactical victory, the Haitian population is still in danger, and the Kenscoff area remains unsafe.  

The ongoing crisis surrounding gang control was underscored in August by the abduction of eight people from the local Saint-Hélène orphanage, including an Irish missionary and a three-year-old child, CNN noted.  

Authorities still don’t know what happened to them, which stands as a reminder of the gang’s pervasive control over the country and the serious challenge Haitian authorities and their international partners have to face. 

At least 175 people were reportedly kidnapped in Haiti from April to the end of June this year. Thirty-seven percent of those abductions happened in Port-au-Prince, where gangs are estimated to control 90 percent of the area.