They formed to fight Haiti’s gangs. Now they’re an obstacle to peace.

They formed to fight Haiti’s gangs. Now they’re an obstacle to peace. - The Washington Post

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They formed to fight Haiti’s gangs. Now they’re an obstacle to peace.

As a U.S.-backed, U.N.-authorized force attempts to restore security, “self-defense brigades” pose a unique challenge.

September 7, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. EDT

Today at 5:00 a.m. EDT

12 min

*A resident of Cité Soleil demands that police fight the gangs that control the neighborhood in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in May. (Odelyn Joseph/AP)*

By

Widlore Mérancourt

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Like many in Haiti’s Artibonite region, the 26-year-old woman once viewed the Coalition as protectors.

A powerful group of murky origins, one of many of this country’s “self-defense brigades,” the Coalition emerged three years ago to fight back against the criminals who were preying on communities such as hers. As a U.S.-backed, U.N.-authorized force attempts to restore security here, some of the brigades have enjoyed support from Haiti’s interim leaders.

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