PNH Issues National Safety Warning: Gangs Using Civilians as Human Shields in Ongoing Village de Dieu Operation

The Haitian National Police issued a public safety warning on June 5, 2026, urging citizens to 'exercise extreme caution and avoid traveling to or remaining in combat zones' amid the ongoing Village de Dieu anti-gang offensive entering its fifth day. The PNH specifically warned that gangs are using civilians as human shields — a documented tactic in which armed groups force civilians to remain in operational zones or use their presence to deter police fire. The public warning marks a significant communication effort: PNH commands rarely issue nationwide advisories during ongoing operations, reflecting both the scale of the Village de Dieu campaign and the humanitarian risk to non-combatant residents caught between police and the 'Baz 5 Segonn' gang. The Village de Dieu neighborhood, astride Route Nationale 2 (RN2) in southwest Port-au-Prince, has been gang-controlled for over five years; residents in the zone have begun evacuating toward Martissant. The operation has deployed armored vehicles, explosive drones, and tear gas across five days; at least 6 firearms were seized by June 3 and gang members have been killed. The PNH warning aligns with the UN BINUH Q1 2026 finding that security forces were responsible for approximately 69% of Q1 casualties — a dynamic that reflects the operational difficulty of counter-gang operations in densely populated urban terrain where civilian protection and tactical effectiveness are often in tension.