Informal commercial activities timidly resume in Bon-Repos, a neighborhood in Croix-des-Bouquets municipality, severely affected by the shows of force from the "Viv Ansanm" coalition of gangs, reconstituted on February 29, 2024, upon the smoking ruins of the previous gang coalition known as G9 and allies. Over the past two weeks, an increased number of vans and street vendors have been observed along National Route 1.
However, from Marin intersection to Saint-Marc roundabout, heading north, the aftermath of criminal group attacks is still visible. Fewer private vehicles and freight transport vehicles use the national road. Except for Marin hospital, which has scaled down services due to insecurity, and schools, all public and private institutions have closed. Both commercial bank branches in Lathan were looted and partially burnt, the Electricity of Haiti substation is out of service, and nearly all money transfer houses, food depots, hardware stores, among others, were looted.
The majority of vendors, over 80 percent according to some observers, have abandoned Bon-Repos public market, located meters away from the ruins of the police substation, in favor of makeshift markets along the Lilavois roadside. This route, previously an alternative for tanker trucks and freight vehicles bypassing Canaan to head north via the Central Plateau, is now nearly deserted.
Shada to Drouillard intersection, a scene of dismay:
At Shada intersection, the police antenna, which was never a threat to gangs, was spared during the events of February 29, 2024, but the officers stationed there have vanished. The ONA office nearby wasn't as fortunate; it was vandalized. Solar energy systems and other equipment were stolen. The building now stands abandoned. Resumption of school activities, tap-taps, motorcycles, and small vendors, fewer than before February 29, struggle to conceal the scars of this area beyond the control of the state.
Croix-des-Missions reportedly suffered less from gang violence. The branches of commercial banks there still remain closed, but the buildings show no signs of vandalism. The same cannot be said for public and private institutions in Damien and Cazeau. The barrier granting access to the Faculty of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine of the State University of Haiti and the Ministry of Agriculture remains closed. These two institutions, vandalized and looted during the gang movement, do not yet know when they can resume activities in their respective headquarters. The Unibank and Unitransfer branches nearby are not receiving clients at the start of June. Unitransfer's door has even been left open without security presence, signaling that like Unibank, it fell victim to gang rule.
In Cazeau, the police substation tasked with protecting lives and property was torched and demolished. The nearby Capital Bank branch is also out of service. It too was not spared from looting.
Those who have resumed using National Route 1 since activity tentatively resumed less than a month ago find ghost towns. The few public transport vehicles and pedestrians trying to navigate among garbage, muddy waters, and giant potholes do so at their own risk.
Those wishing to avoid the perils of National Route 1 between Cazeau and Sarthe can detour through Croix-des-Missions/Clercine. Traffic flows smoothly there. It's proof that Butte Boyer and other nearby villages have been emptied of their inhabitants. Traffic congestion near the BIM police station is a distant memory. Due to gang attacks on the station, informal markets, van and motorcycle stations have been cleared out. The entire Cul-de-Sac plain is under gang control, though they remain discreet in some areas.
It's also possible to bypass National Route via Santo. It seems everything functions in Santo. Spared so far from gang fury, Santo's neighborhoods are still inhabited. However, the chaotic state of the road in certain spots shows that the state is absent there too.
At Marassa intersection, the situation is starkly different. Activities have significantly dwindled. Traffic jams on the Marassa/Fleuriot stretch are a distant memory. Vehicles traveling on this once bustling route now speed along, with very few pedestrians observed on what was previously a heavily trafficked thoroughfare.
In Croix-des-Bouquets, gangs do not hide
The streets leading to Croix-des-Bouquets are deserted. Weeds grow over the ruins of destroyed or abandoned houses. On the main road to the downtown area of the municipality, passing through Duval, the bandits have settled in and imposed their rules. They reign as masters and lords, openly displaying weapons, always ready to strike. They have set up barricades made of car wrecks and sand at various points along the road, hindering smooth traffic flow and preparing for potential responses from the PNH. Like on the road leading to the recently burned Calvaire police substation, only the law of the bandits now applies.
On Rue Grande Plaine, commonly known as "Rakèt," the bandits are present, controlling traffic and taxing drivers providing transportation to downtown or to the provinces. Private cars dare not take this route.
In downtown Croix-des-Bouquets, aside from the occasional armed men seen here and there, one could almost believe they are in a functioning city. The entrance to the communal market is bustling. Students hurry back to their classrooms in the few schools still operating, including the Charlotin Marcadieu National School and Lycée Jacques 1er.
In the other part of the municipality where the town hall, peace tribunal, and major commercial banks are located, the situation is relatively calm, and traffic is very sparse. These institutions, pillaged or vandalized, keep their doors closed. Gone are the days when money changers and small businesses occupied the sidewalks!
In Duval, the main street entrances are closed. This is an initiative by the PNH to prevent car theft on public roads.
From downtown Croix-des-Bouquets to Tabarre, from Bon-Repos to Drouillard intersection, from Croix-des-Missions to Clercine, northern Port-au-Prince is left to fend for itself.