Overview:
U.S. Marines assigned to guard the U.S. Embassy in Haiti got here underneath hearth on Nov. 13 from suspected members of the Viv Ansanm gang coalition in Tabarre. No Marines had been injured. The assault comes as gangs increase their grip throughout Port-au-Prince and safety forces battle to regain management.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — Marines assigned to guard the U.S. Embassy in Haiti exchanged gunfire with suspected members of the Viv Ansanm gang coalition this week in Tabarre, in response to U.S. army officers. No Marines had been injured, however the assault underscored how even diplomatic missions are more and more uncovered as armed teams tighten their management over the capital.
Capt. Steven Keenan, U.S. Marine Corps spokesperson, confirmed the incident that occurred on Thursday, Nov. 13, telling The Washington Post that the Marines “returned hearth after being focused” and emphasizing that the power stays dedicated to defending U.S. diplomatic personnel worldwide.
The assault occurred in Tabarre, a northeastern commune of Port-au-Prince as soon as recognized for relative calm however now dominated by armed teams, together with 400 Mawozo, Chen Mechan and Kraze Baryè. Their territorial growth has pushed hundreds of residents from their properties and positioned diplomats, humanitarian employees and remaining state establishments in danger.
The Nov. 13 taking pictures is the newest in a rising sequence of safety breaches close to the embassy. In October 2024 and January 2025, gunmen opened hearth on automobiles affiliated with the embassy. The January assault wounded an embassy gardener and left bullet holes on armored U.S. automobiles.
The U.S. Embassy has usually warned residents of deteriorating circumstances, however the current escalation demonstrates that even closely protected diplomatic zones are now not insulated from the violence sweeping Port-au-Prince.
Coinciding with Haitian police operations, a capital underneath siege
The incident unfolded whereas Haitian legislation enforcement, supported by the Gang Suppression Drive (GSF), carried out a significant anti-gang operation within the Cul-de-Sac Plain areas, together with Santo and Lilavois— strongholds of the 400 Mawozo and Chen Mechan gangs in Croix-des-Bouquets.
Throughout that operation, authorities seized high-caliber weapons — together with a Barrett M82 rifle, a number of assault rifles and pistols — in addition to a bulldozer reportedly utilized by 400 Mawozo to construct barricades.
A PNH helicopter offering aerial help was compelled to land after coming underneath hearth and experiencing a mechanical failure. All personnel on board escaped unhurt, and officers destroyed the plane to forestall gangs from recovering it.
“This operation sends a transparent and unequivocal message: the period of uncontrolled gang dominance is over,” the GSF stated in a Nov. 15 assertion. “Haiti’s safety establishments are mobilizing all their capabilities — on land, at sea and within the air — to revive peace.”
The assault on U.S. personnel displays Haiti’s broader safety collapse. Armed teams now management over 90% of Port-au-Prince, in response to Haitian and worldwide establishments’ estimates. Neighborhoods as soon as thought of protected have fallen underneath gang affect, whereas others stay trapped between rival teams and police operations.
“U. S. Marines are dedicated to the security and safety of U.S. embassies worldwide and reply to all threats with professionalism and swift, disciplined motion.”
Capt. Steven Keenan, Marine Corps spokesperson
Residents face day by day threats of kidnappings, killings, arson assaults and home burnings. The management exerted by the Viv Ansanm coalition and affiliated gangs continues to fracture communities, choke financial exercise and push state establishments nearer to paralysis.
The United Nations Built-in Workplace in Haiti (BINUH) reported final week that a minimum of 1,247 folks had been killed and 710 had been injured between July and September alone. Mixed with greater than 3,000 deaths recorded from January to June, Haiti has seen over 4,200 folks killed in gang-related violence in 2025.
In the meantime, as of Sept. 30, greater than 1.4 million folks have been displaced as households flee assaults and whole neighborhoods empty out— the UN reported.
Persevering with operations, unsure path to stability
Regardless of intensified legislation enforcement operations and the persevering with deployment of the GSF, stability stays elusive. Safety specialists warn that long-term restoration would require not solely reclaiming territory from gangs, but additionally restoring authorities establishments, strengthening native policing and making certain sustained worldwide help.
The GSF says operations will proceed, because it expects to be full and totally operational by March-April 2026.
“Joint operations based mostly on intelligence and steady patrols will proceed till these legal teams are utterly defeated,” the power officers stated.
For a lot of in Port-au-Prince, nonetheless, the instant concern is survival. With violence encroaching on diplomatic zones and residential neighborhoods alike, the necessity for coordinated motion — and a path again to nationwide stability — has by no means been extra pressing.