In the Artibonite, gangs are not content with killing, raping, and burning houses in the communes that have fallen under their control. In an unprecedented act, they are now setting rice fields on fire. Is this not the final blow to an industry already struggling to survive against what is often deemed unfair competition from imported rice? Even before this new tactic, the occupation of national roads and the takeover of several communes in the Artibonite Department by armed groups had already dealt a fatal blow to national production and the rural economy.

Despite the constant cries for help from local leaders and farmers in the Artibonite, the authorities have failed to find an effective strategy to neutralize the gangs. Is it any surprise, then, that the number of Haitians suffering from food insecurity continues to skyrocket?