The Plain of Cul-de-Sac region has endured another nightmare night. Thousands of residents, fleeing rare and extremely violent armed clashes in Duvivier and Martial, spent the night of Sunday, May 10, to Monday, May 11, 2026, huddled outside the premises of the SONAPI industrial park. The sound of automatic weapons fire and the flames of burning houses plunged the area into indescribable chaos, forcing women, children, and the elderly to sleep on the bare ground due to a lack of available shelters.
The violence began on Saturday afternoon and intensified throughout Sunday night. According to consistent testimonies gathered on the ground, the clashes involve several rival armed groups. In Duvivier, an attack carried out by heavily armed men, belonging according to local sources to the group led by the gang leader known as Jeff Gwo Lwa, sowed panic. The advance of the assailants towards the Martial area forced many families to flee in a hurry.
The situation is all the more complex as our editorial staff has confirmed that the “Chen Mechan” gang, allied with the Taliban groups of “Jeff Gwo Lwa” and “400 Mawozo” led by an individual known as “Lanmò San Jou” (Death Without a Day), is engaged in a bloody struggle against the rival gang of Pierre 6. Heavy exchanges of gunfire have been reported in several strategic sectors, notably in Sarthe, Terre-Noire, and on Route 9. Residents describe scenes of war: continuous bursts of gunfire, detonations of heavy weapons, and masked men circulating in pickup trucks.
Duvivier school attacked
Among the infrastructure hit, the Duvivier school was targeted. According to initial accounts, the establishment was first attacked on Sunday, causing a wave of panic among the population.
Several houses have also been set on fire in the areas of Sarthe, Terre-Noire, and on Route 9, fueling the mass exodus of civilians. Witnesses claim to have seen several lifeless bodies in the streets, but no official death toll has yet been released by the authorities. Psychosis is total: entire families left their homes in the middle of the night, carrying a few personal belongings, walking under gunfire to reach areas considered safer.
Faced with the intensity of the fighting, many residents tried to take refuge in the Trois-Mains area, which has become an improvised shelter. But the pressure is such that many displaced persons continued on their way to the SONAPI industrial park. This Monday morning, women, infants, and the elderly were still gathered there, without any shelter, without sufficient water or food.
Anger and helplessness: displaced persons block Trois-Mains
Faced with what they perceive as an “unacceptable inaction of the authorities,” angry displaced persons blocked the Trois-Mains area on Monday morning, May 11. They are demanding concrete interventions from the state to restore security. The protesters denounce the abandonment of civilian populations left to armed gangs and demand urgent police presence in the conflict zones.
While some residents remain trapped in areas considered high-risk, with no possibility of fleeing or receiving immediate assistance, armed groups continue their advance into new territories once controlled by rival factions.
Limited Police presence, no direct intervention
On the night from Sunday to Monday, armored vehicles of the Haitian National Police (PNH) were spotted at Carrefour Drouillard and Carrefour Vincent. However, according to local sources, no direct intervention was reported in the areas most affected by the clashes, such as Duvivier, Martial, or Sarthe. This lack of action has heightened residents’ fear, as they call for a rapid and massive deployment of law enforcement to secure the neighborhoods.
“We see armored vehicles passing by, but no one comes to get us out of hell. The gangs are burning our schools, our homes, and the police are looking the other way. How much more of this are we supposed to take?” protested a young man taking refuge in front of the SONAPI building.
A worsening local humanitarian crisis
The Plain of Cul-de-Sac has been facing a resurgence of gang violence for several weeks, causing massive population displacement and a local humanitarian crisis. This Monday, May 11, 2026, the situation remains extremely tense. Residents fear an escalation of the fighting in the coming hours, as rumors circulate about the arrival of reinforcements for the armed groups.
The population issues an urgent appeal to national and international authorities: strengthen security measures, protect civilians, open humanitarian corridors, and facilitate the evacuation of people in danger. In the meantime, hundreds of displaced persons continue to sleep under the stars, in fear and uncertainty, in front of the SONAPI facilities.
