Haiti (MNN) – New waves of gang violence in Port-au-Prince are sending more Haitians fleeing the capital. Armed groups now control most of the city, and the violence has spread far beyond neighborhood shootouts. Families are escaping kidnappings, looting, and deadly clashes.
The United Nations reports that, from the first quarter of 2026, at least 1,642 Haitians have been killed and 745 injured.
For Christian World Outreach’s partner churches in rural Haiti, the crisis is bringing new faces through their doors.
Haitian community (Photo courtesy of Heather Suggitt via Unsplash)
CWO’s Greg Yoder says, “They are still seeing people coming – fleeing from the places where the gangs have taken over. They’re seeing people come to the Lord, people becoming members of the churches and joining those fellowships.”
The violence follows years of instability after Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in 2021. Despite international security efforts, gangs continue tightening their grip on Port-au-Prince while expanding into surrounding areas.
Yoder says the movement of civilians out of the capital has not stopped.
“I think it’s just been a continual exodus, trying to find relief from not being able to either sell in the marketplace [or] just live a peaceful life,” he says. “People are still trying to get away from that gang violence.”
Aspects of CWO’s ministry has been disrupted by the unrest. “We had to shut down our Feminine Training Center in Mirebalais because the gangs came and took over that town,” Yoder explains.
Churches in Haiti are all about music … and the CWO churches are no different. Choirs, musical instruments and songs of praise make these churches come alive! (Photo, caption courtesy of CWO)
Meanwhile, churches outside the capital are growing as displaced Haitians arrive searching for safety and hope.
“I think anytime there’s either a natural disaster or…in Haiti, the gang issue, people are looking for some place to put their hope,” Yoder says.
“When the churches can reach out to these people [and] help them in their need, that opens the door to sharing the Gospel and that God is our hope.”
That growth also brings pressure. Some smaller towns are struggling to absorb new arrivals.
Yoder shares, “People left with nothing but what they had on them, and so they left everything behind. They have to start over, and the Haitian people are generous!”
CWO is helping partner churches with relief funds and leadership training for pastors carrying the weight of overwhelmed communities.
Please pray for peace in Haiti, protection for vulnerable families, and endurance for church leaders serving on the spiritual front lines of the crisis.
Learn more about CWO’s Haiti ministry here.
Header photo from 2020 of a suburb of Port-au-Prince. (Photo courtesy of Reynaldo Mirault via Unsplash)
