Haitians leave their homes in several neighborhoods to escape more gang violence in the capital

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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Gangs attacked in several neighborhoods of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince on Saturday, forcing many people to leave their homes after gunfire raged through the night. Authorities did not immediately release casualty information.

Haiti’s police union said on its social media channels that the ongoing attacks in the neighborhood of Solino could mean losing control of the entire city to gang violence.

“If there’s no measures against the criminals who are taking control in Solino and Nazon, we will lose the entire capital,” Haiti’s police union said on social media platform X. “No government will be in its place if we cannot reduce such insecurity.”

On Thursday, at least one woman was killed as gangs opened fire in Solino, St. Michel, Tabarre 27 and other neighborhoods.

Radio Télé Métronome reported that the swearing in of Haiti’s provisional electoral council scheduled for Friday in downtown Port-au-Prince was moved to a safer area.

Six officials from the Bahamas arrived in Haiti Friday to join a U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police to help quell gang violence. The officials are the first of a contingent of 150 soldiers from the Bahamas expected in upcoming months.

It wasn’t clear what prompted the latest attack, which comes just days after Haitian and Kenyan police launched an operation that killed at least 20 suspected gang members in an area controlled by the 400 Mawozo gang that operates mainly in Tabarre.

Gangs control 80% of Port-au-Prince. Communities like Solino have been fighting attempts by gunmen to control it.