HomeConflictBwa Kale - the Haitians’ Fight for Order

Bwa Kale – the Haitians’ Fight for Order

by Lisa von Arx

In the district south of the capital Port-au-Prince, Marissant’s police station is pockmarked with bullet holes. Bare-chested men with covered faces, gold rings, and machine guns keep watch behind burned-out cars. In the abandoned ministry of communication, displaced families are searching for shelter from the continuous gang violence. Since the murder of President Moïse in 2021, the Haïtian government has lost control of its country as 80% of the capital is now governed by approximately 100 armed groups, pushing Haïti towards anarchy.

While Haïti was profoundly struggling with organised crime for decades, the situation further escalated in October 2021 after the presidential inauguration of the previous prime minister Auriel Henry, which is understood as highly illegitimate. Gang violence became political, as some framed their actions through nationalist, populist rethorics, claiming to free Haiti from the corrupt elite. With gangs gaining control over the national airport, and the port on and off, the government lost its control of the state’s territorial border, unable to control what crosses the country, further strengthening the gangs’ access to resources. With no democratically legitimate government, its functions have been paralysed greatly, leading to a broad collapse of the Haïtian public service including law enforcement, education, and health care, leaving Haïtians to self-sufficiency.   

Since April 24th, 2023, an anti-gang movement known as Bwa Kale has swept through the county, reawakening the hope for a free Haiti in many. On that day, the police of Canapé Vert, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, picked up thirteen suspected gang members, however, they did not arrest them but left them to the ferocity of the onlookers. All thirteen were burned, or stoned to death. “It dispelled the myth of their [the gangs’] invincibility.”, recalls Louis Henri Mars, the founder of the Haïtian peace NGO Lakou Lape, “And so this has created a whole (…) movement of the police in front and the people behind.”. Since then, civilians frequently engage closely in police investigations against organised crime – sometimes even fighting alongside in street wars. Vigilantism against alleged gang members has skyrocketed. Through social media trends, song lyrics, and even in protestant services, Bwa Kale, and the violent uprising against the gang rule is openly promoted.

Contrastingly to their close relationship with local police forces, many Bwa Kale supporters have lost faith in the state itself: “It’s as if the government is benefiting from the fact that this country is in limbo. They still get paid, they’re buying brand new 2023 Land Cruisers for government officials. They’re running with high security, they are safe, and the rest of the people [are] just abandoned.”, expresses an anonymous organiser of a self-defense group in a CNN interview. He, along with his neighbours, has petitioned the government for help for months before taking security matters into private hands. Through defense deals with the local police in exchange for effective armory, the opening of checkpoints, and merciless treatment of potential spies, the district was able to evolve into a comparably secure island, where shops are opening again, and the people are walking more confidently.

The Haïtian fight against the gangs has long turned into a transnational concern. On the one hand, the Haïtian diasporas are financing weaponry for civil defense groups, and are highly supportive of the Bwa Kale movement, and its rising public figures. On the other hand, the UN Security Council has authorised international military aid to reinforce the eroding state. 

However, Bwa Kale has also cost innocent lives. Police officer Emmanuel Derilien was lynched in St-Louis-Du-Nord when he was mistaken for a gang member after he wounded two people in an altercation. Due to the absence of an impartial law enforcement system, fear and paranoia may lead to partially informed decisions with fatal consequences. 

While Bwa Kale is met with great enthusiasm by some, others observe the liberation movement hesitantly, and with a look into the past. “All revolutions have the potential of birthing that kind of leadership. And sometimes this is dangerous also because you don’t know what kind of individual is going to show up on the stage.”. In Colombia in the 1990s, self-defense groups rising against guerilla groups’ kidnapping and oppression soon linked with the illicit drug industry, and became a similar source of civil oppression they once aimed to suffocate. 

As Haiti navigates this precarious moment, the question remains: Will Bwa Kale bring lasting liberation or sow the seeds of new gangs? For now, it is a symbol of both the country’s resilience and the dangerous vacuum left by a failed state.

Photo: APTOPIX Haiti Protest via The Independent

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Lisa von Arx
My name is Lisa von Arx, and I’m in my first year of bachelor’s studies in International Relations and Organizations at Leiden University. Over the past two years, living away from the Eurocentric media I grew up with, I became aware of just how many stories and voices are either overlooked or harmfully simplified. This sparked my interest in exploring topics that are usually squeezed into 200 words in the back pages. I’m excited to discover these stories from around the world and share my insights with DEBAT readers.
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