Overview:
Dozens of heavily armed men from the Kokorat San Ras gang based in Tibwadòm, Gros-Morne in Artibonite, affiliated with Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier’s Viv Ansanm Coalition, attacked Bassin-Bleu on Thursday, leaving at least one death, multiple injuries, 10 kidnapping victims and the destruction of homes and buildings—both public and private—that were set on fire. The gang’s raid on the town, located less than 20 miles south of Port-de-Paix, the capital of the Northwest Department, happened two weeks after a police leadership reshuffle in the region.
Editor’s Note: This is a developing story. It will be updated as more information becomes available.
PORT-DE-PAIX — Bassin-Bleu, a commune in Haiti’s Northwest Department, once considered one of the country’s safest regions, descended into chaos Thursday when about 60 heavily armed members of the Viv Ansanm affiliate gang, Kokorat San Ras, stormed the town and left behind a trail of destruction.
According to initial reports, at least one person was killed, 10 kidnapped and several others injured. Homes, commercial banks, the local hospital, Good Samaritan, and public offices—including the police station and town hall—were looted and set on fire. Employees trapped inside government buildings had to be rescued as the gangs’ terror reign continued through the town, located less than 20 miles south of Port-de-Paix, the department’s capital.
Local officials said the Bassin-Bleu police station had just three officers at the time of the assault, far too few and under-equipped to mount a defense. They had to flee to nearby mountains for their lives, along with dozens of residents.
“The town is completely under siege by armed men,” said Dodo Fatilien, deputy mayor of the commune.
“It is necessary and urgent for the departmental director of the police to send reinforcements.”
Members of the Kokorat San Ras gang watching the body of local school teacher John Guerdy Dorvilien engulfed in flames after they shot him multiple times on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. Photo courtesy of Johnny Julien.
A deadly attack amid leadership changes
The assault comes only two weeks after a reshuffling of police leadership in the department. Former police director Clevens Cétoute, credited with maintaining relative calm in the region, was replaced by Fred Joseph, who pledged at his installation to strengthen patrols and sustain security.
Instead, the Kokorat San Ras attack marked a swift deterioration in security. “Replacing the police director in the Northwest Department was not a good decision. We knew attacks could happen at any time,” said Mikender Tatoute, 22, a resident of the commune.
Victims of the assault include 60-year-old Merlien Orélien, who was kidnapped, and teacher John Guerdy Dorvilien, who witnesses said was shot multiple times and burned alive by the bandits from Tibwadòm, a locality in neighboring Gros-Morne commune of the Artibonite Department.
Headshot of local school teacher John Guerdy Dorvilien brutally killed by gunmen from the Kokorat San Ras gang near his home in Bassin-Bleu during the attack on Thursday, Sept. 18. 2025. Photo via Facebook
Government Commissioner Jéir Pierre, based in Port-de-Paix, confirmed that two police backup units were dispatched to the area.
“I’ve been discussing the Bassin-Bleu situation with the Minister of Justice,” Pierre told The Haitian Times. “New strategic measures will be implemented to protect the population.”
Still, most residents have fled Bassin-Bleu, seeking refuge in rural areas like Haut-Moustiques—a mountainous farming community. Those who remain fear renewed attacks from the assailants who reportedly left the town late Thursday night.
The attack in Bassin-Bleu follows a series of violent escalations in recent weeks across Haiti, particularly in the provinces. Just last week, gangs massacred more than 50 people in Labodrie, in the Arcahaïe district—about 20 miles north of Port-au-Prince, drawing condemnation from Amnesty International, the United Nations, the Organization of American States (OAS), the European Union and the United States, which all criticized the Haitian state’s inability to protect its citizens.
Now, violence is moving further into provincial towns once thought insulated from the worst of Port-au-Prince’s insecurity. The spread of gang activity to Bassin-Bleu underscores fears that no region of Haiti remains beyond the reach of armed groups.
The government has reiterated promises to regain control. In a statement earlier this week, it pledged that “no armed group will ever be stronger than the Republic” and vowed to dismantle gangs through coordinated police and judicial measures.
But for residents in Bassin-Bleu, those pledges ring hollow. “The police director general lied to us—he did not keep his promise. Our community is now experiencing the same suffering as others,” said Élita Julien, a 27-year-old nurse.
A spreading crisis and faltering international response
For years, Haiti’s northwest had been seen as a relatively safe haven compared to Port-au-Prince and its surrounding communes, where gangs control nearly 90% of the territory. But with gangs consolidating under alliances like Viv Ansanm, and the Haitian state unable to maintain a consistent police presence with adequate equipment, violence is rapidly expanding northward.
Meanwhile, the international Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) deployed under Kenyan leadership and backed by the UN, has so far proven slow and ineffective in bolstering the Haitian National Police (PNH).
Despite months on the ground, MSS forces remain limited to perimeter security in Port-au-Prince and have not engaged in decisive operations to dismantle armed groups or secure major routes. Critics argue that the mission suffers from poor coordination, inadequate resources and a narrow mandate.
Frustrated by the MSS’s shortcomings, the U.S. and regional allies are aggressively pushing for its transformation or replacement with a Gang Suppression Force (GSF)—a more offensive unit focused specifically on dismantling gangs and retaking territories. Discussions have intensified at the UN Security Council and within the OAS and the Caribbean Cmmunity (Caricom), with growing recognition that without a sharper, more proactive force, the security situation will continue to spiral—affecting neighbors in the region globally.
Yet the prospect of transitioning from the MSS to a GSF raises questions about funding, troop contributions and legitimacy. For many Haitians, international support has consistently arrived too late and in forms too weak to address the scale of the crisis.
The Bassin-Bleu attack illustrates the stakes: while the state and its international partners deliberate, gangs are expanding into new regions, accelerating the collapse of local governance and civilian security.
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