Haiti’s La Chapelle falls under gang control as police station torched and town sealed off
La Chapelle, a commune in Haiti’s Artibonite Department, is the latest town falling under the control of violent armed gangs. The “Talibans” gang from Canaan, a neighborhood in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, seized control of the once peaceful town during a coordinated early-morning assault on Sunday, June 22. The bandits set the local police station ablaze and erected barricades to block any police response.
2025-06-24 14:04:52 - VI News Staff
PORT-AU-PRINCE — La Chapelle, a commune in Haiti’s lower Artibonite Department, fell to gang control early Sunday morning, June 22, after armed men from the “Talibans” group based in Canaan—a neighborhood in Port-au-Prince—launched a pre-dawn assault. The assailants set fire to the police station, including units of the Anti-Gang Tactical Unit (UTAG), forcing officers to retreat.
The operation began around 5 a.m. and was carried out by the affiliate of Viv Ansanm, a broader gang coalition led by notorious leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier, according to the town mayor, Robinson Dieuseul Fonrose. He said the assailants quickly sealed all entry and exit points to block police reinforcements.
“They now control the entire commune,” Fonrose said on Radio Télévision Caraïbes. “Those still inside are unable to leave, as the gunmen grow stronger by the hour.”
Authorities had received warnings as early as June 19 that La Chapelle was a target. Still, no proactive measures were taken. While no fatalities have been reported yet, several homes and the police station were destroyed. By the time reinforcements arrived, the gang had already taken complete control.
Fonrose warned that nearby communes remain at risk, especially those with police presence. He believes the UTAG’s deployment in La Chapelle may have triggered the assault, as gangs seek to eliminate any remaining law enforcement resistance.
“These men arrived in overwhelming numbers, heavily armed,” he said, urging support for vulnerable residents—especially the elderly—still trapped inside the town.
Despite the escalating crisis, national authorities, including the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT), the Prime Minister’s Office and law enforcement institutions, have yet to respond publicly. La Chapelle becomes the latest area added to the growing list of more than 28 zones under gang control across Haiti in 2025.