The following article is a list of gang-related events that have happened in Haiti since its independence.
1950s
1958 François 'Papa Doc' Duvalier creates the Tonton Macoute, a paramilitary force, which becomes a tool for domestic security, engaging in massacres, assassinations, and political violence.
1970s
1971
Duvalier renames Tonton Macoute to Volunteers for National Security.
1980s
1986
The Volunteers for National Security is disbanded after protests against Duvalier but continues to operate informally. People attack Macoutes in Port-au-Prince, stoning and burning alive their targets.
1987
Army kills 22 dockworkers, and paramilitaries kill 139 peasants in Jean-Rabel. Political violence increases.
1988
September
Saint-Jean Bosco massacre occurs, as 13 are killed by armed men, suspected to be former Macoutes. Prosper Avril resigns amid protests, leading to a new provisional government.https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GITOC-Gangs-of-Haiti-Timeline.pdf
1990s
1990
March
A massacre in Piatre results in 11 killed over a land dispute.
1991
September
The SSP militia emerges, deposing Jean-Bertrand Aristide in a coup as he flees.
1993
The FRAPH paramilitary group forms to support Joseph Raoul Cédras, carrying out massacres including on Carrefour Vincent and Raboteau.Sabine Carety, Tonton Macoutes semi-official PGM/ Volunteers for National Security (Haiti), Pro-government militias guidebook, https://militias-guidebook.com/pgag/362/; Walter Kemp, Mark Shaw and Arthur Boutellis, Haiti, in The elephant in the room: How can peace operations deal with organized crime?, International Peace Institute, June 2013, pp 32–45, http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep09589.7; David Beer, Chapter 3 Haiti: The gangs of Cité Soleil, Journal of Complex Operations, 24 May 2016, https://cco.ndu.edu/News/Article/780129/chapter-3-haitithe-gangs-of-cit-soleil/
1994
Aristide returns with help from multinational forces, and creates new Haitian police forces.
September
RAM, the Oloffson hotel’s house band, face threats amid political unrest.
1996
Aristide disbands Haitian military, and former soldiers join armed groups.David Beer, Chapter 3 Haiti: The gangs of Cité Soleil, Journal of Complex Operations, 24 May 2016, https://cco.ndu.edu/News/Article/780129/chapter-3-haiti-the-gangs-of-citsoleil/
1998
February
Eight people are killed in an assassination attempt on Richard Morse during Kanaval celebrations.
2000s
2003
The National Revolutionary Front forms, consisting mainly of anti-government gangs and former soldiers.Jeb Sprague, Paramilitaries in Haiti, Monthly Review: An Independent Socialist Magazine, 1 September 2012, https://monthlyreview.org/articles/paramilitaries-in-haiti/
2004
February
Artibonite Resistance Front takes Gonaives, leading to Aristide's departure.
March
Paramilitaries capture the former military headquarters, as Aristide supporters and activists are hunted down.Guy Philippe: The rebelling soldier, BBC News, 4 March 2004, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3495944.stmThe Haiti Support Group, Timeline of Haitian politics, https:// haitisupportgroup.org/timeline-haitian-politics/
2005
Police deploy vigilantes to raid the Aristide-supporting gangs.Sabine Carety, Tonton Macoutes semi-official PGM/ Volunteers for National Security (Haiti), Pro-government militias guidebook, https://militias-guidebook.com/pgag/362
2010s
2010
The 2010 Haiti Earthquake causes a prison break, resulting in the rise of multiple new gangs like the Armée Fédérale.Louis-Alexandre Berg, Crime, politics and violence in postearthquake Haiti, United States Institute of Peace, Peace Brief, 28 September 2010, https://ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu/pbei/usip/0020289/f_0020289_17163.pdf
2011
Gender-based violence and gang recruitment increase in camps after the earthquake.Amnesty International, Haiti: Aftershocks: Women speak out against sexual violence In Haiti's camps, 6 January 2011, https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr36/001/2011/en/The Pan American Development Foundation and USAID, Protecting human rights in Haiti, Final Report, July 2017, p 52, https://haiti-now.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Protecting-Human-Rights-in-Haiti-2011.pdf
March
Michel Joseph Martelly announces the reinstatement of the Haiti military, and ex-military gangs begin to assert control over military buildings.Isabeau Doucet, Martelly plans army revival for Haiti, Toronto Star, 14 May 2014, https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2011/05/14/martelly_plans_army_revival_for_haiti.html; Dady Chery, Paramilitary gangs join UN force in preying on Haitian population, The San Francisco Bay View, May 2012, https://sfbayview.com/2012/05/paramilitary-gangs-join-unforce-in-preying-on-haitian-population/
2015
Jovenel Moïse becomes a presidential candidate for the PHTK after the elections are marked by violence.Even Sanon, Haitians vote in long-delayed legislative elections amid delays, disorder at polling centers, US News, 9 August 2015, https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2015/08/09/disorder-rife-as-haitians-vote-in-longdelayed-elections
2016
The 400 Mawozo gang forms in Croix des Bouquets.400 Mawozo, InSight Crime, 23 March 2022, https://insightcrime.org/caribbean-organized-crime-news/400-mawozo/
2020s
2020
May A coalition of 11 gangs (Delmas 19, Delmas 6, Delmas 95, Nan Barozi, Nan Belekou, Nan Boston, Nan Chabón, Nan Ti Bwa, Pilate Base, Simon Pele, and Wharf de Jeremie) attacked several neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince as a way to secure and expand territorial control. The same month, they attacked civilians in the neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince, killing 34 people.
2021
April
Clashes between rival gangs in Port-au-Prince result in hundreds of deaths, and 16,000 Haitians are displaced.Diego Da Rin, New gang battle lines scar Haiti as political deadlock persists, International Crisis Group, 27 July 2022, https://www.crisisgroup.org/latin-america-caribbean/haiti/new-gang-battle-lines-scar-haiti-political-deadlock-persists
June
1 June - A gang coalition seizes control of a key section of the only national road leading south from Port-au-Prince, isolating the capital from the rest of Haiti.
July
50 Haitians are killed in clashes between G-Pèp and G9 gangs in Cité Soleil.Associated Press, Dozens dead, injured in Haiti's capital in gang clashes, Yahoo! News, 13 July 2022, https://news.yahoo.com/dozens-dead-injured-haitis-capital-232943843.html 7 July - Haitian President Jovenel Moïse is assassinated at his private residence in Port-au-Prince.
September
Gangs control parts of Haiti, imposing curfews and driving thousands from homes.
October
G9 holds up fuel trucks to cause fuel shortages and begins to demand Prime Minister Ariel Henry's resignation.Ricardo Arduengo, Haiti crippled by fuel shortages as gang leader demands prime minister resign, CNBC, 27 October 2021, https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/27/haiti-crippled-byfuel-shortages-as-gang-leader-demands-pm-resign.html
November
A G-Pèp gang led by Gabriel Jean-Pierre attacks a hospital and takes hostages that include women and children.
2022
Gangs federate into G9 and G-Pèp alliances, as 400 Mawozo joins G-Pèp.Alessandro Ford, Why Haiti's Gang war keeps on getting worse, InSight Crime, 20 May 2022, https://insightcrime.org/news/why-haiti-gang-war-keeps-on-getting-worse/ Jimmy Chérizier's G9 gang blockades Haiti's main fuel import route, causing island-wide shortages.
2023
July
Gang violence disrupts food and energy supply chains, raising prices and exacerbating the crisis in Haiti. In Tabarre, gangs forcibly remove a patient from a hospital, triggering a mass exodus of residents to the US embassy. 25 July - Haitians flee tear gas at the US embassy, attempting to escape gang violence. 27 July - US State Department orders all non-emergency personnel to leave Haiti, following a warning to citizens about travel safety. 31 July - US nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her child are kidnapped.
September
G9 and G-Pèp form a temporary Viv Ansanm to oust Henry and oppose foreign intervention.
2024
February
22 February - Cherizier is seen patrolling the streets of Delmas 3 in Port-au-Prince with G9 federation members. 29 February - Coordinated gang attacks across Port-au-Prince kill at least four police officers. Chérizier claims responsibility, aiming to capture officials and block Henry's return from Kenya.
March
Gangs control approximately 80% of Port-au-Prince, effectively paralyzing the city. 1 March - Henry signs an agreement with Kenya to deploy 1,000 police officers to combat gang violence, though the deployment is delayed by a court ruling declaring it unconstitutional. 2 March - Gangs storm two major prisons, releasing over 4,000 inmates, prompting police to urgently request international assistance. 3 March - The government declares a state of emergency and imposes a nighttime curfew in response to the escalating violence. 4 March - Armed gangs attempt to seize control of Toussaint Louverture International Airport, halting flights and adding to the chaos while Henry remains out of the country. 5 March - Henry's flight to the Dominican Republic is diverted to Puerto Rico after Chérizier declares war on him and air traffic is suspended between Haiti and its neighbors. 6 March - As Henry remains locked out of the country, Haitian politicians form alliances and pressures mount on him to resign, both domestically and internationally. 7 March - The government extends the state of emergency and nighttime curfew while Henry struggles to regain control. 8 March - Police increase patrol of Port-au-Prince as gang violence continues to escalate. 11 March - Gang members are observed sitting together in Port-au-Prince, illustrating their continued control over the city according to some. 13 March - Henry announces his resignation plan amidst growing pressure from both the international community and gang leaders, with gangs warning of a civil war. 21 March - The international community debates over Haitian intervention, with Kenya pledging police support to restore order amid the growing gang violence.
June
25 June - 800 Kenyan police officers arrive at Toussaint Louverture International Airport as part of the U.N.-backed Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) to aid Haitian police in combating armed gangs.
July
Kenyan police officers are deployed near the National Palace in Port-au-Prince as part of a peacekeeping mission.
October
4 October - Gang members attack Pont-Sondé, killing 70 people. The Gran Grif gang, armed with knives and assault rifles, launch the assault at night, using canoes for a quiet approach. 6 October - Survivors of the Pont-Sonde attack, numbering 6,270 people, are left homeless. They are crowded into temporary shelters in Saint-Marc, including a church and school. 7 October - The government deploys armored vehicles and medical supplies to the affected areas, as Gran Grif, led by Luckson Elan, becomes the largest gang in Artibonite. 8 October - UN sanctions are imposed on Elan. 17 October - Soldiers patrol Port-au-Prince as Solino, one of the few gang-free communities in Port-au-Prince, comes under attack. 20 October - Haiti's National Police seize control of several areas in Solino while continuing to pursue gang members. 21 October - Prime Minister Garry Conille announces the recall of elite police and soldiers to reinforce areas under gang assault, including Solino.
November
14 November - Residents flee the Nazon neighborhood of Port-au-Prince due to escalating gang violence and displacement.
December
In Cité Soleil, at least 207 people are killed over a five day period during coordinated gang attacks.