Overview:
Haitian gangs underneath the Viv Ansanm coalition generate an estimated $60–75 million yearly by extortion, primarily by charging unlawful tolls on nationwide roads and extracting charges from cargo getting into the nation through the Dominican Republic, in accordance with a brand new report by the Worldwide Disaster Group. Regardless of authorities makes an attempt to chop off this income, gang management continues to unfold, fueling insecurity, mass displacement and faculty closures.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — Haiti’s Viv Ansanm gang coalition, labeled a terrorist group by the USA, generates an estimated $60 to $75 million a 12 months by extorting cargo shipments from the Dominican Republic and charging unlawful tolls on roads and ports, in accordance with a brand new report by the Worldwide Disaster Group.
The report, revealed this week, “Undoing Haiti’s Lethal Gang Alliance,” particulars how gangs have diversified their funding sources, permitting them to function independently of political and financial patrons whereas increasing their territorial management.
In line with the report, gangs levy unlawful charges on cargo getting into Haiti from the Dominican Republic, charging as much as $2,000 per container. Haitian Financial system and Finance Minister Alfred Métellus stated the scheme impacts roughly 3,000 containers per thirty days, producing tens of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} yearly.
“These assets make the gangs autonomous and permit them to accumulate weapons, ammunition, and personnel. The aim is to chop off the movement of assets going to them.”
Alfred Métellus, Haiti’s economic system and finance minister
“These assets make the gangs autonomous and unbiased,” Métellus informed Le Nouvelliste earlier this 12 months, after the federal government briefly banned overland imports from the Dominican Republic in an effort to disrupt gang financing.
“They permit them to accumulate weapons, ammunition and even personnel. The aim is to chop off the movement of assets going to them.”
The ICG report, based mostly on over 300 interviews performed between February 2022 and November 2025, notes that container extortion is just one a part of a broader felony economic system that features unlawful tolls on nationwide roads, kidnappings, illicit trafficking and maritime theft.
Gangs diversify their earnings streams to purchase weapons, in accordance with the World Initiative Towards Transnational Organized Crime
Gangs have established checkpoints throughout Port-au-Prince and alongside nationwide highways, charging drivers about $1,500 per truck per thirty days to make use of sure routes, with a further $190 charge per journey from regional ports, the report says.
Pedestrians, commuters and even schoolchildren are sometimes compelled to pay to go by gang-controlled areas.
“These numerous tolls have led to a big enhance in the price of items transported by land,” ICG analysts stated. “Communities that attempt to keep away from paying face violent reprisals.”
From political and financial instruments to autonomous armed teams
The report traces the gangs’ evolution from teams as soon as mobilized by political and enterprise elites into self-directed armed actors with unbiased income streams.
Since forming the Viv Ansanm coalition in 2023 — an alliance of beforehand rival teams together with G9 an Fanmi and Gpèp — gangs have consolidated energy, expanded into areas reminiscent of Kenscoff, Mirebalais, Saut-d’Eau, La Chapelle and different elements of the decrease Artibonite, and diversified into drug and arms trafficking.
The ICG hyperlinks this consolidation to a dramatic deterioration in safety nationwide—a heavy human toll of gang growth.
Since 2022, gang violence has killed greater than 16,000 individuals, with over 5,600 homicides recorded in 2024 alone, confirming figures beforehand reported by different organizations. Greater than 1.4 million individuals have been displaced, and at the least 1,600 colleges have closed.
Kids are more and more recruited into gangs, accounting for an estimated 70% of 12,000-20,000 members in 2024, the ICG stated.
“These numerous tolls have led to a pointy rise in transport prices, and communities that refuse to pay face violent reprisals.”
Worldwide Disaster Group
Though the precise variety of gang members in Haiti is unknown, it tremendously exceeds the variety of Haitian Nationwide Police (PNH) officers.
“Haitian gangs have mutated from being instruments within the fingers of probably the most highly effective to overlords of the nation,” stated Diego Da Rin, the Disaster Group’s Haiti analyst. “Whereas they proceed to revenue on the expense of Haitians, they’re trying to rebrand themselves as defenders of the poorest.”
Through the use of this populist rhetoric—portraying themselves as a “savior” to a inhabitants they proceed to terrorize, the ICG Haiti analyst stated— the gang leaders goal to hunt political affect and amnesty for his or her atrocious crimes.
Viv Ansanm gang frames itself as a motion for justice, however report says it seeks affect, talks and amnesty
Limits of navy responses and proposals
Haitian authorities have launched new techniques, together with armed drone strikes, however the report says these efforts have didn’t reclaim territory or dismantle gang networks as a result of poor coordination and weak establishments.
Residents say they’re traumatized after explosions killed kids and different civilians within the gang-controlled space
Because the worldwide neighborhood replaces the Kenya-led Multinational Safety Help mission (MSS) with the United Nations-backed Gang Suppression Pressure (GSF) — composed primarily of navy personnel — ICG consultants warn {that a} military-only strategy dangers excessive civilian casualties and will additional entrench gang management.
As a substitute, the battle prevention group requires a technique combining safety operations with demobilization, accountability, and efforts to chop off political and monetary help.
“Army superiority over the gangs can be a significant step,” stated Da Rin. “However with out dismantling them, halting recruitment, and slicing ties to energy, it could solely present a brief pause within the battle.”
As Haiti has seen earlier than, “Eradicating leaders might carry short-term calm,” he added, “however violence will return if gangs aren’t absolutely disarmed and their backers held accountable.”