Photos | What does the anger sparked by Zamy’s death in Haiti reveal

It was one of the rare times in Haiti that the so-called « Generation Z » generation took to the streets en masse in a peaceful march to denounce impunity and condemn the increase in assassinations in a context of generalized insecurity

Lire cet article en français

The tragic death of nineteen-year-old Wanderson Zamy has saddened his family, friends, former classmates and those who knew him through social media.

Image from the funeral of Wanderson Zamy, killed on August 18, 2025.Photo : Jean Feguens Regala

Image from the funeral of Wanderson Zamy, killed on August 18, 2025.Photo : Jean Feguens Regala

It was one of the rare times in Haiti that the so-called « Generation Z » generation – a term that first appeared in the United States to refer to people born between the late 1990s and the early 2010s, and is now used by other societies – took to the streets en masse in a peaceful march to denounce impunity and condemn the increase in assassinations in a context of generalized insecurity.

Image from the funeral of Wanderson Zamy, killed on August 18, 2025.Photo : Jean Feguens Regala

According to testimonies collected by AyiboPost from people informed of the events, Zamy, who was on the back of a motorcycle traveling near the Ministry of National Education, in Delmas 83, was hit by a bullet in the abdomen.

Peaceful march in the streets of Port-au-Prince, organized after the tragic death of Wanderson Zamy, killed on August 18, 2025.Photo : Jean Feguens Regala

This young man, who had just taken his baccalaureate exams and was passionate about basketball, died on the way to the hospital.

Several witnesses accuse ministry security agents of opening fire in an attempt to disperse a group of trainee teachers demonstrating outside the premises to demand their integration into the education system.

The funeral of Wanderson Zamy, killed on August 18, 2025. Photo : Jean Feguens Regala

On TikTok, the platform where Wanderson Zamy produced video content, many young people who knew or followed him denounced the tragedy and demanded justice for him and reparations for his family.

Three days later, on August 21, frustration on the web turned into a mobilization in front of the Ministry of National Education, in Delmas 83.

On TikTok, the platform where Wanderson Zamy produced video content, many young people who knew or followed him denounced the tragedy and demanded justice for him and reparations for his family.

Peaceful march in the streets of Port-au-Prince, organized after the tragic death of Wanderson Zamy, killed on August 18, 2025.Photo : Jean Feguens Regala

Image of the peaceful march in the streets of Port-au-Prince, organized after the tragic death of Wanderson Zamy, killed on August 18, 2025.Photo : Jean Feguens Regala

The young protesters held placards and pictures of Wanderson Zamy and lit candles at the scene of the tragedy.

Several hundred protesters – including popular personalities on TikTok and other social media – mostly dressed in black and white, wearing t-shirts bearing the portrait of Wanderson Zamy, responded to the call of several youth organizations.

The emotion was palpable throughout the course.

Image from the funeral of Wanderson Zamy, killed on August 18, 2025.Photo : Jean Feguens Regala

« It makes no sense to take the life of a 19-year-old in these conditions, » Kevin Mésidor, known as Aurélie the drama on social media, told reporters in front of the cameras.

The crowd marched to the Prime Minister’s office and the presidential headquarters in Delmas 60.

There they sent several messages to state authorities.

The mobilization also took other forms.

It makes no sense to take the life of a nineteen-year-old in these conditions.

– Kevin Mésidor

On August 26, a group of about fifteen young people posted a video online in which they denounced poor governance, corruption, injustice and the death of Wanderson Zamy.

The video has been viewed several thousand times on social media.

Contacted by AyiboPost, Bervens Thierry Fréjuste, 24, who co-wrote the script, explained that he was devastated by the death of his young friend.

« The text I wrote in honor of Zamy is making its way and leaving sparks of hope in my heart. I am ready to continue to light the embers of this patriotic spirit among the young people of my generation, » the young business management student told AyiboPost.

On the same date, officials at the Collège Canado-Haïtien, where Wanderson attended, organized a tribute ceremony in the presence of his family and former classmates.

Funeral of Wanderson Zamy, killed on August 18, 2025. Photo : Jean Feguens Regala

Wanderson Zamy joins the list of several thousand civilians killed by gunfire in Haiti in recent years.

According to the United Nations, more than 3,000 people were killed in the first six months of 2025.

The sudden disappearance of Wanderson Zamy echoes other similar tragedies that have occurred in the country.

Wanderson Zamy joins the list of several thousand civilians killed by gunfire in Haiti in recent years.

In February 2025, Macénat Lebelt, a young student at the Center for Diplomatic and International Studies (CEDI), died after being shot in the middle of a classroom in Bourdon.

Grégory Saint-Hilaire, 29, lost his life in October 2020 in equally tragic circumstances. He was shot by an officer of the National Palace’s General Security Unit, inside the École Normale Supérieure, just a few meters from the National Palace.

These violent episodes illustrate the seriousness of the security crisis facing the country, where more and more illegal weapons are circulating and where human rights officials are questioning the training and conduct of those who are supposed to embody professionalism in the use of weapons.

For several years now, digital platforms, widely used by new generations, have been at the heart of several social movements across the world.

In 2024, young people in Kenya protested en masse against a finance bill deemed unfair.

Mobilized via TikTok, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, they launched the hashtags #RejectFinanceBill2024 and #RutoMustGo, organizing protests across the country.

Thousands of protesters stormed Parliament on June 25, 2024, killing nineteen people and injuring hundreds.

Faced with this pressure, President William Ruto withdrew the bill the following day.

The day after the youth march, the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training announced that it was taking precautionary measures against fifteen security agents present at the tragedy on August 18, while specifying that it would await the conclusions of the judicial inquiry to shed full light on the matter.

A few days later, on August 28, the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police arrested Ferdinand Saint Fleur, a MENFP security officer, for his alleged involvement in the death of Wanderson Zamy, according to Lionel Lazarre, a police spokesperson, who stressed that the investigation was still ongoing.

Wanderson Zamy’s funeral service was held on August 27 at Saint-Pierre Church in Pétion-Ville. It was a very moving moment, with many young people, his family, friends, and public figures present to pay their last respects.

A few days later, on August 28, the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police arrested Ferdinand Saint Fleur, a MENFP security agent, for his alleged involvement in the death of Wanderson Zamy, according to Lionel Lazarre.

« This march, organized on August 21, is the catalyst for what we could accomplish. Young people must maintain this same spirit of mobilization, whether on social media or on the ground. Zamy must be the last to die under these conditions, » Paul Castro concluded to AyiboPost.