PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – The Haitian National Police (PNH) has released operational results revealing substantial progress in its campaign against armed gangs during the first quarter of the year. According to official statistics, security forces eliminated 43 gang members across 32 separate operations conducted in three key departments of the crisis-stricken nation.
The comprehensive police operations yielded significant weapons confiscations, including 46 rifles, 19 pistols, six surveillance drones, and over 10,659 rounds of ammunition. Law enforcement authorities also reported seizing five communication radios, multiple Molotov cocktails, and two armored vehicles previously used by criminal elements.
This disclosure comes amid heightened international scrutiny of Haiti’s security situation. The United Nations Human Rights Council recently convened to address the escalating crisis, with gangs systematically employing starvation tactics and extortion against the civilian population. According to data from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), gang-related violence has resulted in at least 5,500 fatalities and 2,600 injuries between March 2025 and January 2026.
Disturbingly, UN reports indicate that 65% of these casualties occurred during security operations targeting gang members, with more than 20% of victims—including children—being struck by stray bullets in their homes or public spaces. Criminal organizations now control substantial portions of the capital city and are expanding their influence into suburban areas and northern regions including the Artibonite and Centre departments.
In a separate operation codenamed ‘Goudougoudou,’ the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police (DCPJ) achieved additional breakthroughs. The operation resulted in 50 prosecutions—including 11 women—and the seizure of 76 kilograms of cocaine and marijuana alongside significant cash reserves and 10 vehicles. Authorities successfully freed one hostage unharmed and fatally wounded seven armed criminals during the mission, which dismantled the criminal network led by Rodolphe ‘Chalè’ Louissaint.
In related developments, immigration authorities faced internal corruption allegations with the arrest of 10 officials from the General Directorate of Immigration and Emigration. These suspects were transferred to the Port-au-Prince Prosecutor’s Office for interrogation regarding their alleged participation in a counterfeit passport distribution network.