For three years now, it has been impossible to start your car, leave Port-au-Prince, and travel to a provincial town without encountering trouble. Gangs have fragmented the country into numerous small territories. There’s Port-au-Prince, other cities, and dozens of toll points. The gangs of Village-de-Dieu and Gran Ravin have controlled Martissant, the southern entrance to Port-au-Prince, since June 1, 2021, and the one led by Krisla commands Fontamara. These criminals have established their own toll points. They frequently hijack trucks and kidnap passengers on this road, which some have dubbed the "road of death." However, in recent months, these gangs have settled for their daily takings collected at these toll points. The gangsters no longer wear masks, do not hide, and operate as if everything were normal.

On the morning of May 9, 2024, after two months of waiting in vain for the resumption of commercial flights in Port-au-Prince, we decided to travel to Les Cayes by road, through Martissant. Portail Léogâne, once the main bus station for the Grand Sud region, has been added to the long list of lawless zones. Its sub-station was attacked by armed bandits, and the police were driven out. The daily hustle and bustle that once characterized this area has vanished. The honking of horns, the comings and goings of street vendors, are things of the past. It has become a battlefield between police and armed gangs—a wasteland.