Haiti's Gangs Try Their Hand at Piracy, Hijacking a Ship Full of Food

 

Haiti's gang warlords have turned the country into a disaster zone, abusing the citizenry and shutting down commercial transport in and out of the country. As if their violent behavior ashore were not enough, two gangs recently decided to turn to piracy, hijacking a cargo ship full of food at one of the nation's largest terminals. 

Last Thursday, members of the 5 Seconds and Taliban gangs (no relation to the Afghan Taliban) captured the freighter Magalie at Port-Au-Prince's Varreux terminal district, according to local media. They made off with one-sixth of the cargo of rice, Haiti's primary staple food, and they took all of the crewmembers hostage, police said. Kidnapping is rampant in Haiti, and has long been a favored form of piracy worldwide. 

On Saturday, Haiti's National Police stormed the ship in a gunfight that lasted for five hours, the agency said. Two officers were injured in the altercation and an unspecified number of gangmembers were killed, and the vessel was safely recovered.  Haiti's National Port Authority assisted with transport for the boarding teams.

The fate of the crew is not known, according to Haiti Libre. A video provided by police showed the Magalie making way astern off the coast, apparently being towed on the hip by a large tug. 

Port-au-Prince's waterfront operations have come under attack by gangs multiple times, disrupting the flow of aid and supplies. Vandals damaged the Varreux Power Plant last month, and briefly occupied and looted the nation's largest container terminal, CPS. The terminal's waterside operations were closed for weeks (and may still be shut, according to the UN's Famine Early Warning System Network).