This is a provisional death toll, and already one of the heaviest of 2026 in the region. The UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) confirmed on Thursday, May 14, in a statement relayed this Friday, May 15, by AFP, that clashes between rival gangs in the northeastern outskirts of Port-au-Prince have caused at least 78 deaths and 66 injuries since Saturday, May 9. About a dozen civilians, passing by, are among the victims. More than 5,300 people have fled their homes, a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) hospital has temporarily closed, and several schools are now serving as makeshift shelters.
Cité Soleil and Croix-des-Bouquets, Front Lines
The fighting is concentrated in two key communes: Cité Soleil, a vast slum at the northern entrance of the capital, and Croix-des-Bouquets, slightly further east. Three criminal alliances are vying for control of the supply routes connecting Port-au-Prince to the Dominican Republic: the 'Viv Ansanm' coalition, formed in 2023 by major gang leaders, and two rival factions resulting from internal splits in late 2025. The weapons used—American-made assault rifles, homemade mortars, civilian drones loaded with explosives—testify to the level of militarization achieved by these groups in three years.
According to BINUH, several houses were deliberately set on fire to dislodge residents. Testimonies gathered by MSF report automatic weapon fire in the alleys, in broad daylight, and bodies left in the street for several hours before being evacuated by volunteers.
An Entrenched Humanitarian Crisis
The 5,300 people displaced since Saturday add to an already staggering total: according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Haiti now has over 1.1 million internally displaced persons, or nearly one in ten Haitians. In Port-au-Prince, nearly 80% of the territory is now controlled, according to the United Nations, by non-state armed groups. The Croix-des-Bouquets food market, one of the largest in the capital, has been closed since Monday.
MSF's Tabarre hospital, which provided free gunshot wound care for the entire northern part of the city, had to suspend its activities on Wednesday after several ambulances were targeted by gunfire. The organization called on all parties to "respect the medical mission" and to "open immediate humanitarian corridors."
The Multinational Force, an Under-dimensioned Device
The Multinational Security Support mission, led by Kenya and deployed since June 2024 under a UN mandate, officially comprises just over 1,000 Kenyan, Jamaican, Salvadoran, and Belizean police officers and soldiers. On paper, it was to reach 2,500 men; in reality, contributions have been slow, and funds, mainly American, were partially frozen in the first quarter of 2026 as part of international budget restrictions related to the Iran-U.S. war.
Kenyan authorities acknowledged on Thursday that no units of the force had been deployed to Cité Soleil or Croix-des-Bouquets since the clashes began, due to a lack of personnel and adequate equipment. The Haitian National Police, depleted, now has only about 9,000 active officers for a country of 11 million inhabitants.
A Paralyzed Political Transition
The Transitional Presidential Council, established in April 2024, is in its theoretical final months. Its roadmap includes organizing general elections by February 2026; as of mid-May, no credible timetable has been published, and the Provisional Electoral Council has not been able to deploy outside the capital. The head of government, Prime Minister Marie-Carmelle Rose-Anne Auguste, denounced on Thursday "methodical internal terrorism" and called for an "international awakening."
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday morning called for an "immediate and massive" reinforcement of the multinational force. France, the former colonial power, and Canada, which hosts the largest Haitian diaspora in North America, have for weeks advocated for transforming the mission into a blue helmet peacekeeping operation—an option that Washington, under the Trump administration, has so far refused to consider.
Editorial View
There is a diffuse fatigue in the media coverage of Haiti that must be named to be fought. The figures are similar from one report to another, the names of neighborhoods blur, international promises erode. But the deaths are not similar; they are 78 lives, distinct, cut short in six days in two forgotten neighborhoods. The scandal is not only local. It is also that of an international community that knows precisely what needs to be done—deploy a truly scaled force, fund a credible national police, oversee an electoral transition—and that chooses, case after case, not to do it. As long as this equation is not broken, the same dispatch will return, month after month, on the news wires. And we will be collectively responsible for allowing it to persist.
Key Takeaways
- At least 78 dead and 66 injured since Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Cité Soleil and Croix-des-Bouquets, according to BINUH.
- About a dozen civilians among the victims; over 5,300 people displaced in six days.
- An MSF hospital had to temporarily close after its ambulances were fired upon.
- Nearly 80% of Port-au-Prince is currently controlled by gangs; 1.1 million internally displaced persons in Haiti.
- The Kenya-led multinational force remains under-dimensioned, with approximately 1,000 men instead of the planned 2,500.
- The electoral calendar promised for February 2026 is no longer tenable.
