Hundreds displaced by armed attacks in Tabarre, Haiti

Hundreds of residents in Tabarre, a commune in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, have fled their homes following armed attacks last week, as insecurity continues to escalate in the Haitian capital.

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The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that attacks on November 13 and 14 displaced more than 600 people, most of whom remain in Tabarre, hosted by local families. The violence comes amid heightened tensions between law enforcement and gangs operating in the city.

The leader of the “Viv Ansanm” gang coalition, Jimmy Chérizier, also known as “Barbecue,” issued a warning to residents in a video message released Sunday, urging people to stay indoors. “This message is addressed to the Haitian people in general. Starting this Monday, November 17, 2025, unless absolutely necessary, do not go out… Leave the streets to ‘Viv Ansanm’ and the police so that we can confront them,” Chérizier said.

Chérizier’s warning follows a joint operation earlier this month by the Haitian National Police (PNH), the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAD’H), and the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) targeting the “400 Mawozo” gang in Tabarre and nearby Croix-des-Bouquets. The operation led to at least seven gang members being fatally wounded, numerous others injured, and the seizure of a large cache of weapons, including a .50-caliber Barrett sniper rifle. No security personnel were reported injured.

Attacks in other previously stable residential areas, including Thomassin and Fermathe, have forced over 1,800 people to seek refuge elsewhere. By the end of October, the total number of people displaced by violence nationwide had reached 1.4 million, the highest level recorded in Haiti and more than a third higher than last year.

OCHA has called on all parties to protect civilians and ensure safe, rapid, and unhindered humanitarian access to communities in need, warning that the worsening security situation is compounding the humanitarian crisis.