News - Haiti expands state of emergency to whole country to fight violent gangs

The Haitian authorities have expanded a state of emergency to the whole country as the government battles violent gangs. The respective decision was published in this Caribbean country's official newspaper, Le Moniteur. This measure will be in force for at least one month. The security and humanitarian situation in Haiti has deteriorated since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise and the devastating earthquake, with gangs controlling more than 80 percent of the capital, Port-au-Prince. On March 1, an agreement was signed to send a Kenyan peacekeeping force of 1,000 police officers to Haiti to fight crime. Over the past year, rampant bandit attacks have killed an estimated 8,000 people in Haiti, where gangs control much of the capital and several other areas.