In Carrefour, everything has to be paid for, according to the testimonies collected from residents by AyiboPost
The state is almost non-existent in Carrefour, but citizens are drowning in taxes.
The two main police stations in the town of more than half a million inhabitants have not been operational in several months.
The Directorate General of Taxes (DGI) and the courts provide services intermittently.
Bandits control the area, and city hall is struggling to collect local taxes, Deputy Mayor Darline Joseph complains to AyiboPost.
The bandits, on their part, manage to impose a lucrative ransom system.
At Carrefour, everything has to be paid for, according to testimonies collected by AyiboPost from residents.
Companies, shops, and merchants pay the bandits operating costs.
The gangs operate toll booths on the national road, at Fontamara, Truitier and Mariani.
They have also set up checkpoints in almost every area within the municipality, as well as toll booths to extort motorcyclists, vehicle drivers, and shopkeepers.
The state is almost non-existent in Carrefour, but citizens are drowning in taxes.
Two weeks ago, several Carrefour districts, including Brochette, were experiencing water shortages.
An AyiboPost source in the area reveals that the gangs had taken control of the supply valves.
Mayor Darline Joseph confirms these facts to AyiboPost without providing further details.
Read also: Cornered by the bandits, many drivers leave the area
Carrefour was gradually taken hostage.
In February 2024, localities in the communal section of Thor and Rivière-Froide, such as Bertin, Demichel, Lagrenade, Tisous, Rivière-Froide, Source Corossol, etc., were invaded by armed civilians.
But the outbreak of violence dates back to at least 2023.
At the beginning of November that year, the Mariani district was emptied of its residents as a result of attacks by armed bandits.
The latter killed citizens, looted shops and burned property. At least 507 households comprising 2,487 individuals have been forced to flee because of the violence, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Last February, bandits invaded localities in the communal section of Thor and Rivière-Froide.
Residents like Joseph suffer from the violence.
To get home to Source Corossol, the man had to go through four to five gangster operated toll stations.
Companies, shops, and merchants pay the bandits operating costs.
Citizens who own homes cannot flee Carrefour, under penalty of finding their homes looted upon their return, or having to pay to have access to them.
Joseph experienced this in March 2024. With his wife, the man left his house due to the tensions. But when he returned a few days later, the bandits demanded 10,000 gourdes to allow him to access the property. Joseph complied. He says he has « nowhere to go. »
According to several witnesses, the bandits affix a note to vacant houses. This note contains the name of the gang in question and a contact number in the event of a return, in order to pay the required fees.
« These days, the trend is changing, Joseph remarks to AyiboPost. If a resident is found to be absent from their home, they are simply looted! »
The bandits are also demanding payment for moves, according to Carrefour residents.
In Brochette, for example, the price is set according to the type of trip. One who leaves with a suitcase pays less than a more heavily laden citizen.
If a resident is found to be absent from their home, they are simply looted!
-Joseph
Bandits disrupt almost all commercial activities.
Many traders have abandoned the three important markets in the municipality, namely « Mache Divalye » in Truitier, « Mache Dèyè pòs » in Brochette, and « Mache Dekatis » in Mahotière, according to observations from a Carrefour resident who has been living in the municipality since 2017.
This resident wishes to remain anonymous to avoid reprisals.
Those who venture into these areas of trade find themselves under ransom by the bandits.
Prices vary according to the size of the stall.
At « Mache Dèyè Pòs, » payments range from 200 to 250 gourdes per day for the smallest stalls, up to 5,000 gourdes or 2,500 gourdes, according to a source from AyiboPost.
Entrepreneurs, such as Génois Sergot in Brochette, say they are accumulating deficits.
The man owns a food shop.
« Before, I could earn nearly 300,000 gourdes a month, he says. Today, Sergot continues, I can barely support myself and my family. »
Cover image edited by AyiboPost depicting a bus station on the route from Portail Léogane to Carrefour. Original photo by Jean Feguens Regala/AyiboPost.
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