The Fils-Aimé administration has just passed its first test with the staging of Carnival 2026. In provincial cities, the carnival lived up to its promises. The population was able to let off steam and forget its troubles for the duration of the carnival parades. In Port-au-Prince and its surroundings, there were attempts. To be more explicit, the authorities of the communes in the metropolitan area where the State still retains a minimum of authority tried to mark this year’s carnival.

In Port-au-Prince as in Pétion-Ville, gunfire intruded into the atmosphere. The carnival festivities had to be cut short. And the worst was fortunately avoided. But the authorities had the opportunity to observe that the security problem in the metropolitan area remains unresolved. While gangs have been chased out of certain areas, we are still far from the security climate being sought. Alongside the curtailment of carnival, the resurgence of kidnappings is another indicator showing that the war against gangs is far from being won.