Rue Saint-Martin in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, is deserted in the middle of the day, littered with ammunition cartridges and half-burnt debris. It feels like a no-man's-land. It's hard to imagine that just a few months ago, this lively thoroughfare in the working-class district of Solino hosted a market frequented daily by several thousands of traders and shoppers. But in January, after a new series of deadly attacks in this area carried out by the armed gangs that control 80% of the city and several localities elsewhere in Haiti, Carrefour Péan's market collapsed.

Only one business remains in this once-bustling street: the Bon Accueil bakery. Holding flashlights between their teeth, two young employees armed with long paddles removed rustic loaves of bread from the old soot-blackened brick oven and arranged them on a shelf. "We're making bread for fun, so to speak: It's been three years now since we stopped being in business," grumbled Augustin Vénol, the owner of the bakery founded by his parents half a century ago, in the suffocating heat and half-light of his back room.

And with good reason: Rampant insecurity has made it too dangerous to work at night. Of the 20 employees split into two shifts, the baker has kept only 12, who work in the morning. This solution is far from ideal since attacks can also occur in broad daylight. As a result, "customers are afraid to come in," sighed the 53-year-old artisan, his clothes smeared with flour and sweat. He said that his output has collapsed to the point where the company now uses only "two or three" 50-kilo sacks of flour a day, compared with "10 to 15" before. The price of the latter has also doubled due to supply difficulties. But the Solino baker has no choice but to keep going. Since he can't acquire new equipment, moving his business to a safe location "would require moving the oven," he said, his eyes raised to the sky.

The descent into hell

These constraints related to gang violence are the common lot of businesses in the Port-au-Prince region, which is home to most of Haiti's economic activity. In early 2024, criminal gangs stepped up their violence to force out the unpopular prime minister, Ariel Henry. This descent into hell suddenly accelerated on February 29 when several rival groups decided to unite.

Since then, "business has come to a virtual standstill" at Farmatrix Laboratories, one of the country's leading pharmaceutical companies, lamented Ralph Edmond, the CEO of the company that employs around 200 people. The company's sole site, which produces antiparasitics and analgesics, is located in the lower Delmas area, "a lawless war zone," deplored the CEO. This area is now the stronghold of Jimmy Chérizier, the fearsome gang leader who goes by the name "Barbecue."

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