PNH Village de Dieu Offensive Day 3: Armored Vehicles, Drones, and Tear Gas Target 5 Seconds Gang — First Police Presence in Zone in Over Five Years

The Haitian National Police (PNH) continued its major security offensive in Village de Dieu — a densely populated neighborhood in southwest Port-au-Prince along Route Nationale 2 (RN2) — through June 3, 2026, the third day of sustained operations that began June 1. The operation deploys armored vehicles, explosive drones, and tear gas against the 'Baz 5 Segonn' (5 Seconds) gang, which has held Village de Dieu for over five years. By June 3, at least 6 firearms had been seized and several gang members were reportedly killed; residents were evacuating toward Martissant as fighting continued. The PNH's strategic objective is to reopen National Route 2 — Haiti's only road connecting Port-au-Prince to the southern peninsula — to civilian traffic. Village de Dieu and the adjacent Martissant corridor have been gang-controlled since 2021, severing the south from the capital and blocking humanitarian supply lines used by MSF and other NGOs. The operation marks the first sustained police presence in Village de Dieu in more than five years and is the most significant PNH security effort in the RN2 corridor since the 2024 Viv Ansanm offensive. It is coordinated with the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), which formally launched full operations June 1, though GSF units remain deployed exclusively in the city center and are not directly operating in Village de Dieu. PNH commanders have warned civilians to stay away from combat zones as gang forces are using residents as human shields.