In November 2020, President Jovenel Moïse appointed Léon Charles as Director-General of the National Police. On March 12, 2021, the police institution faced one of its most emblematic failures at Village de Dieu, during an operation in which five elite police officers were killed by the 5 Seconds gang, which still controls this district of Port-au-Prince today.

A few months later, on June 1, 2021, the PNH lost total control of one of the country's most important roads at Martissant, National Highway 2. Since that date, armed gangs have continued to seize control of roadways, neighborhoods, and towns across the country.

On Tuesday, June 1, 2021, Martissant, one of Port-au-Prince's most significant districts that provides access to four of the country’s departments, was invaded by armed groups. The gangs from Grand-Ravine and Village-de-Dieu allied to expel the Tibwa gang, which controlled the main commercial areas of this neighborhood. The result was war—murders, rapes, thefts, looting, and arson followed. The people of Martissant paid a heavy price. Jovenel Moïse, who was supposed to inaugurate a new power plant in Carrefour, had to cancel the event.