Source: Global Voices — Politics · By Jude Pierre Louis
Republished with attribution from Global Voices — Politics. Text reformatted for readability; original reporting belongs to the credited author.
‘Government, say something…we need justice, we need security…hunger is killing us’
Screenshot of video ‘Gwo lòbèy pete devan PRIMATI, machann Would kò yo atè pou rele dèyè PM Alix Fils Aime’ (‘A major commotion erupted in front of the Prime Minister's office; street vendors staged a protest against Prime Minister Alix Fils-Aimé’) uploaded on September 11, 2026, by Tripotay Lakay on YouTube . Fair use.
This post is part of Global Voices’ September 2026 Spotlight series, “ Protest in Democracy .” With this spotlight, we seek to explore the many forms of protest, the tactics states use to delegitimize and suppress them, and the complex relationship between protest and democracy. You can support this coverage by donating here .
Haiti’s chronic instability and lack of infrastructure have made it difficult to attract the foreign investment that could create jobs. As a result, the informal sector is the engine of Haiti’s economy , with many traders — mostly women — relying on it to earn a living and care for their families.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the nation’s capital, because while a local industrial sector does exist, it is far too small to meet the population’s employment needs. Like other large cities across the island, Port-au-Prince functions as a massive, open-air market. Street vendors set up everywhere: on roads, sidewalks, in front of homes and warehouses, and in busy spots like bus stations, commercial areas, and near government offices. They sell groceries, farm produce, fruits and vegetables, street food, cosmetics, medicines, and all kinds of imported goods, both new and used.
However, because of increased gang activity, the two main regions that supply Port-au-Prince with food have now been cut off. The two major roads leading to the south and north are controlled by various groups from the Viv Ansanm criminal coalition, which have set up illegal toll checkpoints along these routes to extort drivers and vendors.
Violent clashes often break out on these roads, putting the lives of rural farmers in constant danger as they attempt to bring their produce to market. The gang fees have sent food prices skyrocketing, and local farm production has dropped sharply. Key agricultural hubs in the Artibonite department and parts of the Centre department are now under gang control, with armed groups driving out farmers, destroying crops, and burning down homes.
As gang violence has been escalating across the country, informal vendors from low-income neighbourhoods have been among the hardest hit. Gangs have burned down public markets and destroyed both businesses and inventory. Violence has turned regular trading spots into dangerous areas trapped in constant gunfire, driving vendors away. Many have had their homes looted or burned down, survived physical violence, and lost loved ones. Countless small traders, having lost everything, have now been forced into displacement camps .
From early August and continuing through September 2026, dozens of informal vendors who used to ply their trade in areas like Marché Salomon , Portail Léogâne , and Champ de Mars have been protesting as the Collectif des Citoyens du Secteur Informel Haïtien et des Petites Entreprises (CCIHPE), in the hope of getting the Haitian government’s support.
Yet, even while the street vendors protest, violent attacks continue. In the high-altitude rural municipality of Kenscoff, a major agricultural hub, gang violence surged between August 23 and 24, resulting in dozens of deaths and the kidnapping of over 60 people.
Amid this ongoing gang activity, the government and Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) have launched the country’s electoral process , opening voter and candidate registration and setting a general election date of December 13. However, uncertainty surrounds the upcoming elections, as large parts of Port-au-Prince and other regions remain under gang control.
Marché Salomon and Portail Léogâne were among the areas that suffered heavy gang attacks . Located in the south of Port-au-Prince, Marché Salomon is about two or three kilometers away from two major gang strongholds — Grand Ravine and Village de Dieu , areas controlled by gang leaders Renel Destina , alias “Kaporal Lapli” or “Ti Lapli,” and Johnson André , alias “Izo 5 Second,” both members of Viv Ansanm.
This same reality exists for Champ de Mars, a major public square surrounded by several government buildings, including the National Palace . Once a busy recreational area where vendors had reserved spaces to sell food and drinks, it is [now] the site of frequent gun battles between armed gangs and the Haitian National Police (PNH), making the square impossible for vendors to use. (In the past few months, people have begun returning to the Champ de Mars area, but the situation remains unsafe).
Gangs currently control over 70 percent of the capital, with the vast majority of neighbourhoods taken over by armed groups.
To demand government action, the vendors have been organising regular street protests, and on September 20, they took to the streets once again , marching through downtown Port-au-Prince. Dozens of protesters carried banners with demands that included calls for tax relief, security, state support, justice and reparations, financial aid, and access to education for their children.
The demonstrators chanted slogans that included, “We cannot take it anymore,” “Government, say something,” “We need justice,” “We need security,” and “Hunger is killing us.” The crowds eventually stopped in front of the building complex on Avenue Charles Sumner, which houses the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, and the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Protesters also made a point of standing in front of the official residence of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé , where both organisers and participants made statements.
The General Coordinator of the Informal Vendors Collective, Boileau Junior Mondésir, declared:
Jodi ya nou devan ministe afe sosyal, kote kob yo te bay pou rekanpe ekonomi nan program precop la, kote 21 milya goud sa pase, 80/100 ekonomi an ki se sekte enfomel la pa jwen yon dola, jodi ya nou pral mande ULCC pou li mande leta ayisyen depi sou Ariel Henry rive sou Didier Fils Aime la, pou li di nou konbyen ki rete nan kob sa, koman kob sa depanse.
For images and additional context, see the original article.
Original publication: 2026-09-27
Text license: CC BY 3.0. Credit, source link and license supplied. Text formatting may have been adapted. No source photographs reproduced.
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