The Artibonite department has become a centre of armed violence in Haiti.
A report published on October 9, 2025, by the National Network for the Defence of Human Rights (RNDDH) states that between January and September 2025, at least 24 massacres and armed attacks occurred in 25 localities across eight municipalities.
These attacks resulted in 84 deaths, including four police officers and two agents of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MMAS).
Some attacks occurred simultaneously, resulting in injuries and significant damage.
Six state institutions were vandalized or burned, hundreds of homes were looted or destroyed, and several police vehicles were lost. Three detainees escaped during an attack on the Marchand-Dessalines police station.
The municipalities most impacted are Gros-Morne, La Chapelle, Liancourt, L’Estère, Marchand-Dessalines, Montrouis, Petite-Rivière de l’Artibonite, and Verrettes.
Petite-Rivière de l’Artibonite suffered eight attacks and is the most exposed area.
RNDDH mentions an unusual trend: some communities are targeted by local self-defense brigades, who accuse them of not contributing to security efforts. The Préval massacre on 20 May 2025 shows this.
The consequences for residents are very serious. Thousands have fled their homes. Fields are abandoned or ruined, and mills and businesses have been destroyed.
Fear dominates these communities, increased by ransoms and gang abuse. Old conflicts, such as the one between “Piatre and Délugé in Montrouis”, have become long-standing battles, which still affect daily life.
Local, judicial, and police leaders admit the situation is very serious. Police lack sufficient personnel and equipment, and as a result, they cannot stop the attacks, even with additional support for select units. Justices of the peace and prosecutors cannot start real legal actions against those responsible. This leaves people without legal protection.
In response to the crisis, the RNDDH urges authorities to act immediately by taking specific measures: equip the police with adequate resources to restore control over the territory, reestablish basic security so displaced people can return home, ensure comprehensive support, including medical, psychological, and financial aid for victims, and allocate intelligence assets to track and neutralize armed gangs.
The RNDDH emphasizes that a delay in implementing these measures will further endanger the population.
The RNDDH report stresses that without swift intervention, the violence will likely spread to all Artibonite municipalities and beyond, deepening Haiti’s security crisis. Once Haiti’s agricultural hub, Artibonite now faces destabilization and heightened insecurity for its residents.
