Residents in Haiti’s capital stand with police in a battle to repel the latest gang attack

PORT-AU-PRINCE (AP) — Gangs launched a new attack on Haiti’s capital early Tuesday, targeting an upscale community in Port-au-Prince where gunmen clashed with residents who fought side by side with police.

The attack on Petionville was led by the Viv Ansanm group, whose spokesman, Jimmy Chérizier, a gang leader and former elite police officer, had announced the plan in a video posted on social media. At least 28 suspected gang members were killed and hundreds of munitions seized, according to Lionel Lazarre, deputy spokesman for Haiti’s National Police.

It wasn’t immediately clear if police had prepared for the attack or tried to preventively protect Petionville given that Chérizier, who is also known as Barbecue, had announced plans to attack it. The turmoil in Port-au-Prince deepened late Tuesday, when Doctors Without Borders announced it was suspending critical care across the capital as it accused police officers of violence and threats against its staff, including rape and death. The aid group will halt patient admissions and transfers to its five medical facilities starting on Wednesday, a blow to a country with extremely limited medical care.