2025-12-24

The Haitian Coast Guard repelled a five-boat gang attack on a convoy of thirteen merchant vessels bound for La Gonave Island in Port-au-Prince bay on December 23. The assault by heavily armed individuals represents the first documented maritime warfare incident in December and establishes a dangerous precedent for gang operational expansion into sea-based combat. La Gonave Island depends entirely on maritime supply routes from Port-au-Prince for food, fuel, and medical supplies serving approximately one hundred fifty thousand residents. By attacking these convoys, gangs can implement island siege tactics without requiring amphibious territorial occupation. December 24, 2025 The Coast Guard successfully repelled the attack with no reported casualties or vessel losses, demonstrating government maritime capabilities remain functional despite land-based security collapse. This contrasts sharply with the National Police inability to intervene in urban incidents such as the ongoing Bel-Air massacre now entering day seventeen without resolution. However, the attack confirms gangs possess boats, heavy weapons, and operational coordination capacity to challenge government control of Port-au-Prince bay, Haiti's most critical maritime corridor. The deployment of five coordinated attack boats indicates significant logistical preparation and suggests this was not an opportunistic assault but a planned operation. The targeting of La Gonave supply convoys threatens humanitarian catastrophe for island populations. If gangs establish persistent interdiction capability, the island faces acute food and fuel shortages within two weeks given limited local agricultural production and complete dependence on Port-au-Prince imports. The December 23 attack occurred during peak holiday supply movement when merchant vessels transport elevated cargo volumes to meet Christmas and New Year demand. Gang maritime operations also threaten international shipping access to Port-au-Prince port facilities, potentially triggering commercial vessel insurance surcharges that increase import costs across Haiti.