2026-01-23
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Bel-Air and La Saline have functioned as strategic gang strongholds since the political crisis
intensified in 2018. The neighborhoods provide proximity to the National Palace area, port access,
and dense urban terrain that complicates conventional police operations. Previous attempts to clear
these zones in 2023 and 2024 achieved temporary results but gangs typically reestablished control
within weeks after security forces withdrew.