Haiti’s Gang Violence Spirals Out of Control, Threatening Regional Stability and U.S. Interests

The recent massacre of at least 42 innocent civilians in Labodrie, a small fishing village north of Haiti’s capital, is yet another grim reminder that failed governance and rampant gang violence pose not just a humanitarian disaster but also a direct threat to American national interests. These killings—brutal even by Haiti’s grim standards, including the murder of a 4-year-old child and his family—were carried out by gangs operating with near impunity. The perpetrators are members of "Viv Ansanm," a powerful criminal coalition recently designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States. Yet despite this designation, the ongoing carnage...