Ambassador of France accredited to Haiti, Antoine Michon
Paris, 6 January 2026.- Drug trafficking, especially cocaine, fueled record violence in Haiti. In an interview given to France 24, the French ambassador to Haiti, Antoine Michon, states that the fight against drug trafficking is an absolute priority of French action, while gangs now control up to 90% of the city of Port-au-Prince.
According to Antoine Michon, Haiti has been serving for years as a rebound point for cocaine trafficking, mainly from Colombia, with some of the flows also passing through Venezuela. Like the entire Caribbean region, the country is facing a massive increase in trafficking, which strengthens the financial and military capacities of armed groups.
Drug trafficking is a major source of funding for gangs, but not the only one. They also derive significant income from kidnappings and extortion, particularly on the capital's main economic axes. This combination explains, according to the French diplomat, the escalation of violence of a level unprecedented in the recent history of the country.
United Nations data show more than 5,600 people killed in 2024, a record, and about 1,500 kidnappings for ransom. Victims belong to all social categories. While Port-au-Prince remains the epicenter of this insecurity, the departments of Artibonite and the Centre are also affected by gang growth.
Today, 85 to 90 per cent of the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince is reported to be under the control of armed groups. The daily lives of the inhabitants are divided between areas dominated by gangs, many of which have fled, and areas still free but saturated, where displaced populations, economic activities and traffic are concentrated.
Faced with this situation, Antoine Michon insists: the fight against drug trafficking is at the heart of France's engagement in Haiti, in support of local authorities. A fight deemed necessary to stop the grip of gangs and curb violence which, according to him, reaches a historic peak.
W.A.
