Overview:
A resident was killed and the local police station was burned when the Kokorat San Ras gang attacked Marchand-Dessalines early Thursday, July 17. Residents say the town, like many others in the Artibonite Department, could soon fall completely under gang control as the government remains silent.
GONAÏVES — A gang attack on the Haitian National Police (PNH) station in Marchand-Dessalines—a historic town in the lower Artibonite Department—left one resident, a well-known professional welder called Boss Billy, dead, and the police station in ruins on Thursday, July 17, as armed groups continue expanding their control across Artibonite and beyond.
The assault, carried out early morning Thursday by the Kokorat San Ras gang, forced police officers to flee, disrupted students taking their official state exams and spread panic among residents. A situation that has raised fears that the Marchand-Dessalines commune could soon fall completely into gang control. The police station was looted and set ablaze, along with several motorcycles and a patrol vehicle. At the time of the attack, only three officers—including one inspector—were stationed there, according to local authorities.
“It was predictable that the bandits would attack Marchand-Dessalines, despite numerous requests to Artibonite police leadership for reinforcements,” said Dunelson Duval, deputy delegate for the district.
The attack came as students sat for the final day of Haiti’s national baccalaureate exams. Amid the gunfire, many were forced to flee with their families.
“Armed groups now surround the commune of Dessalines,” Duval said in an interview with The Haitian Times. “The disruption of the official state exams adds to the fear and displacement already affecting the population.”
Despite residents erecting makeshift barricades in surrounding neighborhoods, the gang—based in neighboring l’Estère—encountered little resistance. Some locals expressed suspicion that the attack was coordinated with the Gran Grif gang, which has been involved in clashes with local defense coalitions in the region.
“We believe this was a strategic move to hand over Marchand-Dessalines to Kokorat San Ras,” said one resident, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal.
Historic town, growing threat
Marchand-Dessalines, once Haiti’s capital under Emperor Jean-Jacques Dessalines, is one of several provincial communes now at risk of full gang occupation. Others under siege include l’Estère, Gros-Morne, La Chapelle, Liancourt and Pont-Sondé.
“We deplore these acts of vandalism,” said a town hall employee. “But there’s no real will to guarantee the safety of our residents. It is unacceptable that only three police officers are assigned to protect an entire commune.”
No government officials or police spokespeople issued statements by Friday morning, and no reinforcements had arrived more than 24 hours after the attack, residents confirmed for The Haitian Times.
National trend: gangs expand outside capital
The Marchand-Dessalines attack is the latest in a string of gang takeovers in provincial towns. In recent months, groups from Canaan and Croix-des-Bouquets overran La Chapelle, while other gangs seized Mirebalais and Saut-d’Eau. Artibonite and Centre departments are now among the most volatile zones outside Port-au-Prince.
According to the Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights (CARDH), gangs now control at least 30 neighborhoods nationwide—up from 28 just months ago. The expansion is driven largely by the Viv Ansanm gang coalition, which has dominated Port-au-Prince and is now pushing deeper into rural areas.
“It was predictable that the bandits would attack Marchand-Dessalines, despite numerous requests to Artibonite police leadership for reinforcements.”
Dunelson Duval, deputy delegate for Marchand-Dessalines
A July 11 report from the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) detailed 1,018 deaths across Artibonite, Centre, and Ganthier-Fonds Parisien between October 2024 and June 2025, with 213 people injured and 620 kidnapped. Nationwide, at least 3,141 people were killed between January and June 2025 alone—part of a staggering 4,864 homicides recorded over the previous nine months.
“Violence has sharply increased in recent months, particularly in Lower Artibonite and the Centre,” the BINUH report stated. “Gangs continue to expand along key transit routes, including toward the Dominican Republic.”
Government’s silence amid growing crisis
Despite the mounting violence, Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils Aimé and the Transitional Presidential Council have yet to comment on the Dessalines attack. The Prime Minister returned from a U.S. trip Thursday—the same day as the assault—and stated in a press release that he had secured promises of support from U.S. officials for the Haitian police and the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS).
In the statement, Aimé called for the accelerated deployment of MSS personnel and additional equipment for the PNH. But so far, none of those promises have materialized on the ground.
Meanwhile, the town of Marchand-Dessalines remains without security forces, and gunfire reportedly continued into Thursday night.
“We’re being left to fend for ourselves,” said one resident. “If there is no immediate intervention, this town will fall like so many others.”
As the death toll rises and more communities fall silent under the weight of gang rule, Haitian citizens continue to wait for the state’s promises of protection to mean something beyond words.