Haitian Police Retake Critical Telecom Hub from Powerful Gangs

On August 26, 2025, the Haitian National Police announced that they had regained control of a critical telecommunications hub in the capital city of Port-au-Prince that had been seized by heavily armed gangs the previous week. The takeover of the Téléco site had briefly disrupted air traffic and internet connections in the country.

The police operation, which began before dawn on Monday and lasted about two hours, was a rare success for Haitian authorities and a U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police that have struggled to push back the powerful gangs seeking full control of the capital. Police spokesperson Michel-Ange Louis Jeune stated that the operation sent a "strong message" from the newly appointed police chief, André Jonas Vladimir Paraison.

During the raid, police found numerous guns, including automatic weapons with scratched-out serial numbers, and more than 1,000 bullets. Jeune emphasized that while the population was sleeping, the police were working to ensure their safety. The attack on the Téléco site was blamed on the Viv Ansanm gang federation, which has struck other key government infrastructure in the past.

The Kenyan commander of the multinational force in Haiti, Godfrey Otunge, was present at the news conference but spoke only briefly, urging the public to "be patient" and promising similar raids in other gang-controlled areas.