Haiti: Police Hold Funeral in Honor of Officers Killed by Gangs

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Published 1 February 2023
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Over the last two weeks, 14 Haitian police officers died as a result of gang-related violence.


On Tuesday, the Haitian Police held a funeral in memory of three officers killed by gangs in Metivier. The ceremony took place at the National Police Academy, which is under constant threat from the armed groups that control large areas of Port-au-Prince.

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On Jan. 21, Luc Eliezer, Duckens Cejuste, and Gerald Occinal died during an attack led by the Vitel-Homme gang against officers who were in the Petion-Ville commune, where the criminal action also left a policeman wounded and another officer missing.
Over the last two weeks, 14 Haitian police officers died as a result of violent actions unleashed by urban gangs.
On Jan. 26, the police took to the streets to protest to demand that the authorities provide them with adequate weapons to fight crime. On that day, a group of policemen attacked the private residence of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
There was also an attack on the Toussaint Louverture airport, which occurred when Henry was returning from Argentina after participating in the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) summit.

There was also an attack on the Toussaint Louverture airport, which occurred when Henry was returning from Argentina after participating in the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) summit.
After these events, Police Director Frantz Elbe appointed Sergo Dasmy as head of the Airport Police Station and Prophete Joachim as head of the General Intelligence Directorate (DRG).
In October 2022, Henry asked the international community to send a military force to Haiti to help fight the armed gangs. The United Nations Secretary Antonio Guterres proposed establishing a "rapid action force" with the military from various countries.
This initiative, however, has not materialized so far as no country seems to be willing to lead the multinational military force.