1.3 Million Displaced: Michael Deibert Reports From Haiti’s Frontlines
As gang violence surges and the capital teeters, journalist Michael Deibert offers a rare glimpse into the reality on the ground.
Haiti is facing one of the most underreported humanitarian disasters in the Western Hemisphere. On a recent episode of Breaking Battlegrounds, hosts Chuck Warren and Sam Stone sat down with author and journalist Michael Deibert, who just returned from an in-depth reporting trip to the embattled nation.
Deibert, who has covered Haiti for over three decades, described a nation in freefall. According to recent reports, over 2,600 people have been killed in gang-related violence this year alone, while violence against children has increased by a staggering 500%. The country's capital, Port-au-Prince, is at the epicenter of the crisis—with armed gangs controlling approximately 80% of the city.
Equally alarming is the displacement of over 1.3 million Haitians, many of whom now live in squalid, makeshift shelters. Deibert recounted visiting a former government ministry building, now home to over 8,000 people, forced from their neighborhoods by gang activity. “No privacy, poor sanitation, and an atmosphere ripe for epidemic,” he reported. This is just one of over 200 such sites in and around the capital.
Compounding the crisis is a looming hurricane season, which could devastate the already fragile and overcrowded living conditions for those displaced.
Despite the dire conditions, Deibert noted subtle shifts on the ground that may hint at progress. One notable change is the collaboration between the Haitian National Police and local militias, especially in neighborhoods like Canapé Vert, which now serve as frontline defenses against gang advancement.
Another surprising element is the reported use of weaponized drones—linked to individuals connected to Erik Prince, former CEO of Blackwater—operating under the Haitian prime minister’s office to target gang strongholds. While the presence of private security actors in a fragile state raises many concerns, Deibert emphasized that the combination of police-militia coordination and targeted action may have slowed or temporarily halted the gangs’ momentum.
Still, the broader picture remains grim. Over 50% of the Haitian population faces acute food insecurity, and the country's political system offers few clear solutions. As Deibert warned, the lack of sustained international attention and aid could lead to even deeper collapse.
The conversation serves as a stark reminder that Haiti’s crisis—though largely ignored by mainstream media—demands urgent global awareness and action.
Image of makeshift shelters for those displaced captured by Michael Deibert
Transcript
Sam Stone: Welcome back to Breaking Battlegrounds with you. It's Chuck Warren. I'm Sam Stone. Our next segment here is continuing on with something that Breaking Battlegrounds has been talking about. But Chuck, as we've said before, there is nowhere near enough coverage nationally or internationally about what is going on in Haiti.
And that is why we are so blessed to have Michael Deibert on the program now. He's a friend of the show, author and journalist. He's covered Haiti for 30 years and just returned from his latest trip. joins us now to tell us what he witnessed it has been a chaotic scene but there may be some little rays of hope.
Chuck Warren: Michael welcome to the show.
Michael Deibert: Thank you so much.
Chuck Warren: Glad you're back safe and sound. So, you know, getting ready for this and based on our conversations and doing some reading the last day or two. So, you know, the United Nations has come out and says violence against children in Haiti has increased 500 percent.
They're saying 2,600 people have been killed in gang related violence this year. You were on the ground there. They're also facing 51% of the population is facing acute food insecurity. Is it as bad as is being painted by the news media down there?
Michael Deibert: I mean, Port-au-Prince especially, but also Haiti more broadly, has experienced an extraordinary, I would say, security collapse over the last several years. Another statistic that has come out recently is that 1.3 million people have been displaced by the violence in and around the capital, which is pretty extraordinary.
Chuck Warren: Michael, sometimes when we come on, we know what that word means. Explain to our audience, what does 1.3 million people being displaced mean?
Michael Deibert: Sure. I mean, I can give you a very kind of concrete and personal example of what that looks like. I visited a government ministry that had been occupied essentially by people who had been chased out of a neighborhood called Solino by Vive Ensemble,
which means live together in English, which is this coalition of armed groups. And you had about 8,000 people living in a not terribly big building in, you know, absolutely cheek by jowl, no privacy, very poor sanitary conditions in a place that looks quite ripe, I would say, for some sort of epidemic to sweep through.
And also, of course, we're entering hurricane season. That is one of 200 of those sites in and around the capital. So you have, you know, all of those people living in conditions very similar to that. And, you know, you still have, I would say what was interesting from a security perspective on the ground is what
had seemed even a couple of weeks ago, like this relentless advance by these armed groups. upon the capital. It looked like they might completely take over. I mean, they control about 80% of it right now. Looks like it has been paused, if not reversed, by a couple of aspects.
Now, one aspect that has been given a lot of attention abroad, obviously, is you have a couple of, you know, I would say at this point under a dozen people connected to Eric Prince, who's the former CEO of Blackwater, who are operating under the office of the prime minister in Haiti, a guy called Alex Didier Fissami.
Who are operating weaponized drones against, you know, the kind of redouts, the headquarters of these armed groups. That has certainly had an effect. What I think on the ground has had even more of an effect is that it seems like there has been more effective coordination between the Haitian police and these
militias that operate in various parts of the neighborhood, especially in a neighborhood called CANAPÉ VERRE. Which is where I spent a bit of time, which is kind of, I would say, almost the front line stopping the gang incursion to the other areas of Port-au-Prince. Now, of course, you know,
having largely unregulated other armed groups running around various parts of the country presents its own set of problems. But where I would say a month ago, it looked like these armed groups of Vivance were on an unstoppable run of winning hands, I would say that looks a little less certain at the present.
Listen to the full episode of Breaking Battlegrounds anywhere you stream your podcasts!
📰 For more firsthand reporting on Haiti and global affairs, check out Michael Deibert’s Substack:
👉 Notes from the World
🐦 Follow him on X (formerly Twitter): @MichaelDeibert