There is no rest for the residents of Solino, a working-class neighborhood in Port-au-Prince. According to reports and the Miami Herald, the area has been under siege as violent attacks by the powerful gang coalition, Viv Ansanm, continue to wreak havoc. Clouds of smoke fill the sky, gunfire echoes through the streets, and once-bustling cobblestone roads now lay deserted, symbolizing both terror and resistance.
The strategic importance of Solino cannot be understated. Control of the neighborhood would grant the Viv Ansanm gang access to parts of the Haitian capital still outside of their influence. As a result, Solino has become a battleground, testing the resolve of the Haitian National Police and the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support mission, which includes personnel from Jamaica, Belize, and the Bahamas. Despite some reported victories against the gangs, the mission has struggled to prevent the spread of violence, with armed groups launching coordinated attacks across several neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince and its outskirts.
“There’s no sleep,” a 40-year-old Solino resident told the Miami Herald, requesting anonymity for their safety. “If you are a young man or woman, you have no choice but to stay awake and keep watch. But right now, no one in the area is sleeping.”
Video footage captured by the gangs reveals the grim reality—heavily armed members go door to door, dragging residents from their homes and threatening to burn them down. The neighborhood is caught between fear and defiance as locals and law enforcement alike grapple with the unrelenting violence.
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