Port-au-Prince – November 26, 2025 – In a deliberate act of terror, armed assailants set fire to the century-old Institution du Sacré-Cœur, one of Haiti’s most revered Catholic schools, late Monday evening, partially destroying the landmark facility in the Turgeau neighborhood.
Founded in 1905 and painstakingly rebuilt after the catastrophic 2010 earthquake, the school has educated generations of children from some of Port-au-Prince’s poorest families. On November 25, just before nightfall, masked gunmen stormed the campus, looted offices, and ignited multiple fires before disappearing into surrounding streets now largely controlled by armed gangs.
In a statement released Tuesday, school administrators expressed “profound pain and indignation” at what they called a “barbaric, criminal, and irresponsible” attack.
“This deliberate fire does not only destroy walls and classrooms — it attacks the future of hundreds of children and the hope we carry for Haiti. Education will always remain stronger than destruction.”
No students or staff were harmed, thanks to a rapid evacuation when the assault began, but several classrooms, administrative offices, and irreplaceable teaching materials were lost.
Local firefighters arrived quickly but struggled to contain the blaze due to chronic shortages of water and equipment — a grim reality across the capital.
The arson is the latest in an escalating campaign against schools, hospitals, and places of worship in gang-controlled zones. In recent weeks alone, health centers have been looted and burned, markets torched, and entire neighborhoods emptied by force.
According to the United Nations, more than 700,000 Haitians have been displaced internally this year, with schools increasingly caught in the crossfire. Many institutions have already suspended classes indefinitely, leaving thousands of children without access to education.
Human rights organizations and religious leaders condemned the attack, calling it a direct assault on Haiti’s future.
“Sacred Heart has been a beacon of stability and dignity for 120 years,” said Sister Marie-Claire Dupont, a longtime educator at the school. “Burning a school is burning hope itself.”
As Haiti’s transitional government struggles to restore order and international support remains limited, the message from Sacré-Cœur remains defiant: classes will resume as soon as repairs allow.
But for now, another piece of Haiti’s cultural and educational heritage lies in ashes — a stark reminder that in today’s Port-au-Prince, even the sanctuary of a classroom is no longer safe.
We will continue to follow recovery efforts and any developments in the investigation.
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