Strategic facility near international airport returned to police control on February 7 – a rare win amid Port-au-Prince’s ongoing violence
Port-au-Prince, Haiti – February 8, 2026 The Haitian National Police (PNH) has redeployed officers to the Carrefour de l’Aéroport sub-police station, reclaiming the strategic facility nearly two years after it was torched and abandoned during a brutal gang assault.
The station, located at a key crossroads near Toussaint Louverture International Airport, was officially returned to police control on February 7 — the same day Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council (TPC) concluded its mandate. The move marks one of the few tangible security gains in the capital, where gangs continue to dominate large areas and severely restrict state authority.
A Devastating 2024 Attack
The sub-station was rendered unusable on March 4, 2024, when members of the Viv Ansanm criminal coalition launched a coordinated attack. Armed assailants exchanged gunfire with security forces, overwhelmed the facility, looted it, and set it ablaze. Eyewitnesses and media reports from the time described burned-out vehicles scattered around the site and thick smoke rising as the building was engulfed in flames. The assault was part of a broader wave of gang operations that targeted police stations, prisons, and even the airport itself, forcing law enforcement to abandon the post.
For almost two years, the location remained under gang influence or no effective control, symbolizing the erosion of state presence in vital corridors of the capital.
Reclamation Amid Transition
The redeployment comes as Haiti navigates a fragile political shift. The TPC, which had overseen the transitional period since April 2024, ended its mandate on February 7 without nationwide elections — the first in nearly a decade. Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé now holds executive authority, with the government under intense pressure to demonstrate progress on security ahead of tentative 2026 polls.
PNH operations in recent weeks have focused on reclaiming strategic zones, supported by drone strikes, coordinated patrols, and the anticipated arrival of the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force around April 2026. While coordination challenges persist between police and other units, the return of officers to Carrefour de l’Aéroport is viewed by authorities and residents as a tentative sign of momentum.
A Precarious Victory
The facility’s reopening is seen as symbolically and practically important: its location near the international airport makes it critical for protecting key infrastructure, facilitating travel, and projecting state authority in a city still gripped by widespread violence.
However, the security context remains highly precarious. Gangs retain significant control over much of Port-au-Prince, and renewed assaults on reclaimed areas are a constant threat. No official reports of immediate counterattacks were available as of publication, but residents and observers remain cautious.
L’Union Suite will continue monitoring the situation at Carrefour de l’Aéroport and broader security efforts in the capital. Small steps like this matter — but the road to stability is long and dangerous.
Haiti fights on. One station at a time.
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