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A group of school children, dressed in smart uniforms, hurry past us, closely supervised by their parents and teachers.
Before us lies the highway, almost devoid of other vehicles, except for two slowly-moving police vehicles climbing a hill.
The children and their parents are on “Airport Road,” the artery leading into the heart of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. The airport is situated a few miles to the north.
The parents guide their children towards an intersection where they will turn right and head towards their homes.
Police use armored vehicles to patrol in Port-au-Prince
Beyond that intersection is gang territory, a place into which only the police venture – seemingly probing the defense lines of the criminal syndicicates.
This section of Airport Road stretches for several miles and is controlled by the notorious gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, a former police officer who has turned against his former comrades.
The security forces are desperately seeking to apprehend “Barbecue” and to dismantle his gang’s stranglehold.
A child sleeps at the bottom of a staircase in a displacement camp
As the families approach the intersection, gunfire erupts from the turret of one of the police vehicles. The children and their parents hastily seek refuge by the side of the road—they know better than to linger.
Within moments, the police find themselves swarmed in a hail of automatic fire. We observe, bracing ourselves, relieved to see the children making it to the relative safety of a side street.
They reside on the fringes of what’s dubbed the “red zone” where the gangs hold sway over the streets.
Security forces are determined to reclaim this area.
Police vehicle hit by gunfire in Port-au-Prince
The first police vehicle manages to pass through Cherylizer’s territory without event, but the second vehicle is hit.
One of its tires is shot out, leaving them no choice but to retreat.
The firefight intensifies as the vehicle maneuvers down the hill, bullets cracking all around as the gangs target the police.
