Haiti church takes in hundreds fleeing gang violence

By AFP
PublishedJuly 12, 2024

Luckenson Jean and Roberto Schmidt

Over a year and a half since Haiti’s rampant gang violence upended her life, Philomene Dayiti longs for nothing more than leaving the Port-au-Prince church where she has taken refuge with hundreds of others and returning home.

But with the country in the early days of a political transition and a gang-fighting international security mission just hitting the ground, it’s uncertain how long the 65-year-old — like hundreds of thousands of other displaced Haitians — still has to wait.

“The only thing I’m asking for: I’d like to go home, find a place to rest. I can’t stay here indefinitely,” she told AFP recently at the crowded International Primitive Church.

Dayiti used to live in Bas-Delmas, a dangerous neighborhood in the capital’s sprawling metropolitan area, and eked out a living selling various goods on the street. When clashes between gangs broke out, she left her home and took shelter in the church, located on Delmas 19 just outside the capital.

Read more: https://www.digitaljournal.com/world/haiti-church-takes-in-hundreds-fleeing-gang-violence/article