Gang Expansion into Rural Haiti
For years, gang warfare has ravaged Port-au-Prince, with cartels controlling large parts of the capital.
Now, they are pushing into Haiti's rural heartland, attacking farming communities and seizing key roads.
An investigation using videos, photographs, witness testimony, and satellite imagery reconstructed the Jean-Denis massacre. At least 70 civilians were killed, and thousands fled.
The victims spanned generations. Estimable Fils-Aimé, 85, was burned alive in his home.
Oldy Thomas, 28, was shot while fleeing. Eight-year-old Berlancia Dor was shot in the chest and died instantly.
"We are not safe – we have lost everything," Daniel said.
In the Artibonite region, violent incidents involving gangs and vigilantes rose from 39 in 2021 to 238 in 2025, according to ACLED data.
In Centre department, incidents increased from seven to 111 over the same period.
"Criminal groups are now present in five out of 10 of Haiti's departments – the violence is definitely spreading," said Nathalye Cotrino, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.
Nationwide, violent incidents surged from 615 in 2021 to 1,626 in 2025.
Nearly 6,000 people died in gang violence in 2025, and about 1.4 million people have been displaced, according to the UN.
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Pierre Espérance, executive director of Haiti's National Human Rights Defence Network, described how gangs terrorize civilians: "They are kidnapping people.
They are burning churches and schools, they are burning houses with people inside them. They are massacring, killing, raping."
