March 17, 2026
Burning tires darken the skies over Delmas 95 and several streets in Pétion-Ville, plunging these areas into chaos and fear. Traffic has come to a standstill, businesses are shutting down, and worried parents are turning back with their children following the abrupt closure of schools.
These demonstrations are in support of a major protest scheduled for Wednesday, April 2, organized by residents of Canapé-Vert, Debussy, and Juvénat to denounce the authorities’ inaction against gang violence. Panic is growing in Delmas 95 and Pétion-Ville amid sporadic gunfire, while tensions have been rising in Juvénat since the morning.
Haiti’s security crisis continues to worsen, with the UN reporting more than 5,600 deaths and thousands of kidnappings in 2024. The number of displaced persons has soared past one million, the majority of them children, according to a recent United Nations report.
Frustrated by the government’s inaction, the population is determined to voice its anger through the “Black Wednesday” movement, rejecting any political exploitation of the protest.
