Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, has suffered from a gang-induced siege that has left residents trapped and facing widespread violence and intense shortages of many necessities, including food, fuel, and medicine. On 29 February 2024, the calculated sweeping attacks carried out by gang leader Cherizier were meant to prevent the return of Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, Haiti’s de facto leader since the assassination of Jovenel Moïse in 2021, following Henry’s trip to Kenya to advocate for a U.N.-backed police force to combat Haitian gang violence. March saw a massive gang-related prison break, in which over 4,000 inmates escaped, and the creation of air, sea, and land blockades that effectively stopped all incoming aid. This past Wednesday, Henry resigned in response to heavy criticism of his handling of the country’s endemic gang violence, and a transitional council has been sworn into power. Yet, the country, and its government, remain in shambles.

In a speech on 22 April 2024, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Catherine Russel revealed that every two out of three children in Port-au-Prince require humanitarian aid, 2.7 million Haitians are living under the control of the armed groups, of which 30-50% have children within their ranks, and women and girls are increasingly threatened by sexual and gender-based violence. The reemergence of cholera has compounded the dangerous health concerns of a city, in which 1.64 million people are facing emergency levels of acute food insecurity. In response, the U.S. has sent a $33 million aid package for Haiti following the attacks in March, and the United Nations has launched a new air bridge to Haiti’s only currently functioning airport in the northern city of Cap Haïtien. Sixty-two tonnes of aid have been transported, and the E.U. has announced the release of €20 million in additional assistance.

While the aid is certainly necessary for the survival of the Haitians trapped within Port-au-Prince, supply-based assistance alone will not bring an end to the organized crime and intense poverty that drives the violence in Haiti. There is little assurance that aid transported into Haiti will even make it into the blockaded city, which remains heavily surrounded by armed groups. Furthermore, even if the immediate needs of some citizens are met by the relief packages, there is little to no doubt that the violence will carry on as the Haitian government flounders to find qualified leadership under the unique pressure of a city besieged by its criminal groups. Extreme distrust among citizens has led to isolation, stockpiling, and hastily constructed barricades within neighborhoods. The implications of this attack will not stop even if the approaching famine is deterred. It will instead persist under the current conditions of economic inequality and political instability, and innocent Haitians will continue to suffer.

Alongside the deep repercussions of the legacy of colonialism, chronic poverty, widespread deforestation and environmental degradation, and consistent foreign interference, Haiti’s chaotic history stands to continue due to the dependence of politicians on street gangs to gain power. Following the devastation of the Haitian economy caused by a political coup and a subsequent embargo in the 1990s, Haiti has struggled to recover economically. Young men struck by poverty in rural Haiti flooded into the streets of Port-au-Prince and found work with one of the few employers of the time–gangs. Following the surge in membership, politicians began to call on the groups as a martial method to exercise the will of the powerful. Politicians provide weaponry and protection from authorities, and in return, gangs offer the votes of the area they control. The consistent use of gangs as a method for acquiring power has led to dangerous consequences. Most of the elite individuals within the Haitian government have some connection with the armed groups, and many have collaborated with them to maintain their positions. Therefore, while the recent violence is notable in its damaging effect, the path towards such disaster was not forged recently. The government has grown weaker, while the gangs have amassed great momentum. Foreign aid and intervention alone cannot stop such a deep-rooted, systemic issue in Haitian society.

Addressing the humanitarian crisis in Haiti must be done with the Haitian perspective in mind. Foreign aid, which often falls into the hands of armed groups and further exacerbates tensions and health concerns, may seem like a solution, but it is by no means a panacea. The best path forward is aid grounded in supporting grassroots initiatives and local entrepreneurship in the country. As the rural communities struggle under the economic hardship of being cut off from their biggest market, Port-au-Prince, it is more important than ever to ensure a sustainable path once the basic needs are met. An effective solution must empower the economic well-being of the Haitian people to avoid the cycle of poverty and violence. The expensive aid being sent to Haiti will most likely go towards the highly corrupt Haitian government. Any physical aid that attempts to enter Port-au-Prince’s borders will likely be seized by the armed groups. Therefore, the best options are based on grassroots organizations and support for local production, bolstered by external aid for things that cannot be made in Haiti (ie. fuel).

Confronting the violence that is driving the humanitarian crisis will be no small feat for the international community, but it must be done for the sake of Haitians. Haiti must undergo systemic political change, and the international community must do everything within its power to bring about a serious reduction in governmental corruption. Louis Henri-Mars, an expert who has been working towards a solution for gang violence in Haiti, proposes that “[c]onfronting gangs with military force will not work without also supporting Haitians seeking to break the cycle of violence and establish true democracy and stability” and that the best path towards peace in Haiti is one of “systemic reform by leaders who do not traffic in weapons, arm gangs, or use violence to circumvent democracy,” who “need space to be able to express their leadership.” 

Foreign officials, therefore, should focus on encouraging a structural change in Haiti, in which votes are not exchanged for weaponry, and extortion no longer economically chokes the city’s population. Instead, there must be an increased dialogue between the citizens and the state to form a truly civil society. Foreign financial aid should reinvigorate the sectors of Haitian society that have been let down by the current government, the areas that are most susceptible to gang membership. Merely subduing the armed groups with U.N. police forces is not enough to ensure a safe future for the country. Instead, political change must occur to challenge the taproot causes of the violence.