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Overview:
Residents of Bassin-Bleu remain traumatized weeks after the Sept. 18 gang assault despite police reinforcements. Local observers said the police remain under-equipped and stretched thin. The lack of armored vehicles and proper logistics has limited their ability to confront heavily armed gangs that control vast rural areas across the neighboring Artibonite Department.
PORT-DE-PAIX — Nearly four weeks after armed men from Tibwadòm’s Kokorat San Ras gang, part of the Viv Ansanm coalition, stormed Bassin-Bleu, fear still grips the town. Despite police reinforcements and repairs to the torched station, residents say the trauma lingers and confidence in long-term security remains low.
Following the brutal Sept. 18 attack, the PNH installed more than 30 officers from the Departmental Law Enforcement Unit (UDMO) in the area to secure the town, located about 17 miles south of Port-de-Paix, the capital city of northwest Haiti. Yet for many, the sight of UDMO officers patrolling the streets only partially eases the dread left behind by the gangs.
“I experienced the worst moment of my life,” Régine Eugène, 38, a mother of three, told The Haitian Times.
“I fear the bandits could return at any moment. My children risk losing the first term of the school year. They were so traumatized… they asked me to leave the town permanently.”
Bassin-Bleu in northwest Haiti was attacked by the Kokorat San Ras, affiliated with Viv Ansanm gang coalition, resulting in one death, multiple injuries, and 10 kidnappings amid a leadership reshuffle within the departmental police.
The town remains fearful despite the arrival of police reinforcements.
During the attack, gang members looted homes, killed a school teacher, kidnapped 10 people, and injured several others. They set fire to vehicles and briefly took control of the local police station, which they torched before leaving. Many residents fled to rural areas or neighboring towns like Chansolme, Port-de-Paix and Jean-Rabel. Some are only now returning, cautiously resuming daily life while haunted by the memory of gunfire and chaos.
“Activities have tentatively resumed, but still, fear remains among the town’s residents,” said Anthony Manigat, Bassin-Bleu’s mayor, who was kidnapped by the same gang in 2024 and forced to pay a hefty ransom for his release. “We need permanent protection, not temporary measures.”
Police response and limits amid a gateway under threat
The PNH said it has implemented new strategies to prevent another attack, including assigning Commissioner Gary Sanon to lead the Bassin-Bleu police post.
“The incident that occurred is regrettable. We do not want it to happen again,” said Rochenel Jean-Mary, the departmental police director. “That is why the National Police has deployed additional UDMO units and strengthened coordination.”
However, local observers said the police remain under-equipped and stretched thin. The lack of armored vehicles and proper logistics has limited their ability to confront heavily armed gangs that control vast rural areas across the neighboring Artibonite Department.
“The best solution will come when leaders decide to attack the gangs’ strongholds to dismantle them completely,” said Mérilès Gène, 49. “We need lasting solutions, not temporary ones.”
Officials and residents alike warn that Bassin-Bleu’s location makes it a crucial buffer zone protecting the entire Northwest Department. Bassin-Bleu acts as the gateway to the northwest via National Road 5 through the Artibonite Department, whose several towns have been controlled by Kokorat San Ras and Gran Grif gangs.
“Any attack in the region begins in Bassin-Bleu before reaching other towns, including Port-de-Paix,” said Jéir Pierre, government commissioner at the Port-de-Paix Court of First Instance. “It cannot become one of the lost territories.”
“Activities have tentatively resumed, but still, fear remains among the town’s residents. We need permanent protection, not temporary measures.”
Anthony Manigat, Bassin-Bleu’s mayor
Over the past five years, armed groups in the area have expanded their operations — kidnapping civilians, looting goods, raping women and girls, burning crops and imposing illegal tolls on public roads. Despite repeated calls for stronger national intervention, locals say they feel abandoned and trapped between fear and survival.
“Protecting Bassin-Bleu means protecting the entire Northwest,” said Laurencil Paul, 57. “The police must be better equipped if they truly want to protect us.”
For now, Bassin-Bleu lives under an uneasy calm — a community traumatized, waiting to see whether the latest police presence will bring real security or just another brief reprieve.
While PNH seems to regain control of Bassin-Bleu, several communities in the Artibonite continue to suffer. For over a week, Liancourt, a town often under attack by armed bandits, has been under the rule of the Gran Grif gang, which loots, rapes, kills, and burns with impunity.
“The incident that occurred is regrettable. We do not want it to happen again. “That is why the National Police has deployed additional UDMO units and strengthened coordination.”
Rochenel Jean-Mary, Departmental Police Inspector
“Residents, including my family there, are living in a very difficult situation,” Magda Dorgilus, a Liancourt native now living in Fort Lauderdale, told The Haitian Times.
“They surrounded the entire town. They burned, looted, and set fire to houses and stores,” she said, confirming that her mother’s and grandmother’s homes were among those destroyed. She urged authorities to act as armed gangs continue spreading terror in other parts of Artibonite, including Chandelle.