Driving through Port-au-Prince, a Russian roulette

In front of the National Palace, in the heart of the haitian capital, several motorcyclists gather at the corner of the park that houses the statue of Le Marron Inconnu. They wait impatiently for the moment when one of the armored trucks of the Haitian National Police will pass by to be escorted at full speed along Paul VI Street.

The armed gangs that have control of the Bel Air neighborhood, located a few blocks from the Government headquarters, have created a corridor between that sector and the General Hospital that crosses Paul VI Street.

Clashes between gang members and the Police are permanent for control of the territory. The sound of gunshots is frequent and constant in that area.

Jean Paul, a 48-year-old man, tells EFE that the gang members set fire to his business, his house and his car a month ago, so he had to go live at his mother’s house, in another area. .

“I lost everything I had”he laments, while remembering that “In Haiti everything got worse with the assassination of the president (Jovenel Moise in July 2021), but for three months the situation has been worse than ever.”

The desolation is evident throughout that area, which was one of the most vibrant sectors of the capital, with many public offices. Now the streets look lonely and abandoned.

At least four of the powerful armored cars that the Police have received are being used in this unstoppable coming and going along Paul VI Street, escorting, amidst gunshots, motorcyclists and truck drivers who confidently surrender to the security that this convoy grants them.

The majority are motorcycle taxi drivers who risk this deadly journey to look for clients from one point to another. On many occasions, they return without any passengers and return again to the other point to see if there is more luck.

When asked if prices have increased due to the obvious risk they run, they assure that they have not because ““There is no money in the streets”. Mastha, a 31-year-old man, arrives at the park with the intention of going to cash a check at a bank branch on the other side.

He watches as several of the convoys leave, but he does not decide to join the fast caravan. After almost an hour looking at the other bikers, he leaves the place and comments: “This is playing with luck. This is Russian roulette and today I am not going to play.”

The park and the statue of Le Marron Inconnu, the famous Black Brown who blew the conch that symbolizes the freedom of Haitians, is now a place in ruins, where only a group of drivers meet for a few minutes, trapped by fear before the power of the gangs that control a large part of Port-au-Prince.

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