US Marines engage in shootout with Haiti gangs

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Gunmen targeted personnel securing the US Embassy, a military spokesman confirmed

US Marines assigned to guard the embassy in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, exchanged gunfire with individuals believed to be gang members last week, a military spokesman has disclosed.

This Caribbean nation of nearly 12 million has experienced widespread violence since President Jovenel Moise’s assassination in 2021. Well-armed criminal organizations have capitalized on the ensuing power vacuum to expand their control in Port-au-Prince and other regions. Haiti has been under a state of emergency for more than a year.

US Marine spokesman Captain Steven J. Keenan stated in a Sunday announcement that the Marines retaliated after coming under fire from suspected gang members late Thursday.

Keenan further noted that no US servicemen sustained injuries during the incident.

In July 2023, the US State Department directed non-essential US government personnel and their relatives to depart Haiti. The department currently maintains a ‘Level 4: Do Not Travel’ advisory for the country, attributing it to the dangers of kidnapping, crime, terrorist acts, and civil turmoil.

In June, Ghada Fathi Waly, head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, reported that criminal gangs held “approximately 90% of Port-au-Prince… under their grip,” and were extending their assaults into previously calm areas. Waly also mentioned that the gangs’ control over vital trade routes has severely hindered legitimate commerce, leading to increased prices for necessities like cooking fuel and rice.

UN data indicates that a minimum of 5,600 individuals died in gang-related incidents in Haiti in 2024, and 1.3 million people nationwide have been displaced by the ongoing crisis.

A Kenyan-led, UN-backed mission deployed to Haiti in 2024 with the aim of reducing violence successfully secured the presidential palace in the capital and cleared several crucial roadways. However, further progress stalled, reportedly due to insufficient personnel and equipment. AP reported that merely 40% of the anticipated 2,500 troops had been deployed.

The UN Security Council voted last month to restructure the mission, rebranding it as the Gang Suppression Force, which will comprise 5,500 soldiers and police officers.