We are in Canaan, a district north of Port-au-Prince in Haiti. It used to be a place where people who lost everything in the 2010 earthquake could find some peace. But in recent years it has become infamous for the gangs that spread terror there.
On Saturday August 26, 2023, an already tense situation took a terrible turn. Pastor Marco (real name Marcorel Zidor) of the Piscine Evangelical Church in Bethesda had decided to organize a peaceful march to protest against the bandits. He hoped that with enough people, they could show these bandits that they were not afraid.
But everything went wrong. Instead of a peaceful march, Canaan was the scene of a bloodbath. Videos of the march, showing innocent worshipers caught in a barrage of bullets, began circulating all over social media like Facebook and TikTok.
Many believe gangs have powerful backers, perhaps even politicians or business people. And even the police and the army seem to have difficulty stopping them.
Digging a little deeper reveals that Pastor Marco, although praised for his initial bravery, was not without controversy. He had promised to attack these bandits, arousing the admiration of some and the concern of many others. The very neighborhood where he preached, Caradeux, is under the influence of another notorious gangster, Vitelhomme.
Given what happened in Canaan, many wonder how Haiti will ever find peace. The day of August 26, 2023 will be remembered as a sad reminder of how dangerous and difficult the path to this peace can be.
But one thing is certain: the Haitian people will not give up so easily. They will continue to fight for a better future.