Haiti’s government declared a three-month state of emergency on August 9, 2025, across the West, Artibonite, and Centre departments to combat escalating gang violence and address a worsening agricultural and food crisis. The central region, known as Haiti’s “rice basket,” has been ravaged by armed groups, with farmers killed or forced to abandon fields, crippling food production.
The United Nations reports that from October 2024 to June 2025, over 1,000 people were killed, 200 injured, and 620 kidnapped in Artibonite, Centre, and nearby areas. Gang violence has displaced 239,000 people, with desperate scenes in late April 2025 as dozens swam across the Artibonite River to escape attacks. Gangs, controlling up to 90% of Port-au-Prince, have expanded their reach, exacerbating insecurity since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
On August 8, 2025, the government appointed André Jonas Vladimir Paraison as interim director general of Haiti’s National Police, replacing Normil Rameau, who faced criticism for failing to curb gang activity due to chronic underfunding. Paraison, former head of security at Haiti’s National Palace during Moïse’s killing, vowed to restore order, working alongside Kenyan-led, UN-backed police forces. The UN mission, launched in 2024, has struggled to quell violence, with gangs like G9, led by Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier, maintaining strongholds.
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The state of emergency coincides with Laurent Saint-Cyr’s appointment as president of Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council, tasked with organizing elections by February 2026. The council, formed in June 2024, aims to stabilize the country, but ongoing violence—killing 4,864 and displacing 1.3 million nationwide since October 2024, per UN and IOM data—poses severe challenges. Experts warn that without increased funding and international support, Haiti’s security and humanitarian crises may deepen, threatening the Caribbean region.
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