"A total blackout": in Haiti, Port-au-Prince has been without electricity since Tuesday following sabotage

Protesters have caused a widespread power outage in the Port-au-Prince region and the Centre department since Tuesday by forcing the shutdown of a hydroelectric power plant to protest against insecurity, according to Electricité d'Haïti, which denounced the "odious" sabotage on Thursday.

The Haitian capital, more than 85% controlled by powerful gangs that have been carrying out repeated attacks against the population and law enforcement, has been without electricity since Tuesday.

In a statement, Haiti Electricity denounced "odious" acts of sabotage causing "a total blackout" in areas supplied by the plant.

The closure of the Péligre power plant is due to several civil society organizations in Mirebalais and Saut d'Eau, two towns in the Centre department recently invaded by gangs, one of the organizers of this action, lawyer and activist Robenson Mazarin, explained to AFP.

"We decided to shut down the hydroelectric plant because the government has abandoned these two towns to criminal gangs. The authorities refuse to deploy the necessary force to drive out the bandits and restore peace. As long as this situation persists, the production plant will remain closed," said Mr. Mazarin, coordinator of the Movement of Engaged Citizens of the Center.

Since March 31, Mirebalais has been controlled by gangs grouped within the coalition "Viv ansanm" (Living Together), which has caused the escape of more than 500 prisoners from a prison.

Their presence also forced the Mirebalais University Hospital, one of the largest in the country, to evacuate patients and staff before announcing its closure until further notice on April 23.

The poorest state in the Americas, Haiti has long suffered violence from criminal gangs accused of murder, rape, looting, and kidnapping, amid political instability.

The country, governed by transitional institutions, has seen a renewed surge in violence since mid-February. Gangs have recently attacked several areas previously beyond their control, spreading terror among the population. This is despite the partial deployment of a Kenyan-led multinational security mission to assist the overwhelmed Haitian police.

According to the United Nations, more than 1,600 people, the majority of them gang members, were killed in Haiti during the first three months of 2025.

Haiti is now approaching the "point of no return" that risks plunging the country into "total chaos," the UN warned in April.