2026-01-20

Shows Tactical Ending Haitian National Police conducted a major coordinated operation and against the Magloire Ambroise Street stronghold of gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, known as Barbecue, involving PNH special units including UDMO, the Armed Forces of Haiti, Gang Suppression Force, and the Prime Minister's Task Force composed of private military contractors. The operation resulted in six gang members killed, several others wounded who escaped, and seizure of 18 shotguns, three AR-15 assault rifles, eight pistols, significant ammunition quantities, five drones, stolen UDMO police uniforms bearing inspector rank insignia, bulletproof vests, and tear gas grenades. Justice and Public Security Minister Patrick Pelissier declared that the recapture of the capital is already underway, claiming that administrative center areas including the airport intersection, Delmas 19, Nazon, and Magloire Ambroise Street have transitioned from red zone to orange zone status. The operation represents the most significant security force offensive since January 14 drone strikes on Barbecue's Delmas 6 residences, demonstrating improved multi-force coordination and systematic targeting of gang leadership infrastructure rather than territorial control operations. Minister Pelissier explicitly credited support from private companies, referring to mercenaries, with making law enforcement offensives more effective. However, his designation of cleared areas as orange zone rather than fully secured green zone confirms that no Port-au-Prince neighborhoods are completely free of gang presence despite the 44-day pause in major gang violence and intensified operations since early January. January 20, 2026 The Washington Post reported that gang members attacked an Associated Press videographer who was filming tactical police patrols in the capital, marking the first documented gang-initiated attack on media or security forces during the 44-day period that began December 21. This suggests gangs are transitioning from complete operational restraint to tactical defensive responses, attacking those documenting PNH operations while not yet resuming strategic offensive actions such as coordinated territorial expansion or mass displacement attacks. The shift from zero attacks to localized responses indicates the pause may be ending tactically even as gangs avoid full-scale mobilization that would forfeit their apparent strategy of maintaining partial restraint to preserve negotiating position for potential amnesty discussions as part of the February 7 transition.