Since the beginning of March, violent gangs have led continuous strikes against governmental institutions in Haiti. The organized attacks targeted police stations, airport terminals and politicians’ offices. After years of increasing popular unrest and strengthening of the socio-political presence of the gangs, Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned amidst the crisis.

Accounts of witnesses and international media call the situation a humanitarian crisis and warn against the state of Haiti falling into complete anarchy. The violence has driven away doctors, teachers, and many other civil servants, who continue to flee the country in great numbers. One of the greatest damages done by the gangs has been the hit on the main prison in Port-au-Prince, after which over 4000 inmates were freed and joined the ranks of the militants, further increasing their power and the effectiveness of the attacks.

The remnants of the Haitian government have reached out to the Kenyan police for reinforcements and have signed deals to receive help from Kenya as the country spirals into a complete collapse, which the government has lost control of. However, in the wake of the president’s resignation they have been put on hold. As early as March 4, the Haitian government had announced a state of emergency and implemented curfews, which only excluded firefighters, law enforcement, health providers and journalists.

The lead-up to the crisis can be traced back to a similar situation in 1994, during which international intervention efforts were not organized, and when they did, failed.. In the years since then, natural disasters, economic distress and the government’s failure to address gang violence only contributed to the chaos and ultimately left Haiti defenseless against the collapse of all social systems.

The state of emergency remains ongoing, yet plans for international aid are still unclear.