By Roobens Isma, Le Nouvelliste, Oct. 19, 2026
The government has declared a state of emergency in the departments of the West, Artibonite and the Centre for a period of three (3) months, from September 18 to December 18, 2026. To justify this decision, the government cites, among other things, "the criminal actions of armed gangs, followed by civil war and genocide", as well as the negative impact of the security situation on the country's productive sectors, "particularly on agricultural and food products, services and the mobility of people and goods".
Under this state of emergency, the government is authorized to take a series of measures aimed at restoring public order, strengthening security, and ensuring a return to normalcy. The decree, published in the official gazette Le Moniteur on September 17, 2026, notably provides for the acceleration of fund release procedures, the execution of expenditures deemed necessary, and the reallocation of certain budget appropriations (with the exception of those allocated to salaries, allowances, and retirement pensions). It also authorizes the authorities to conclude contracts using expedited procedures provided for by public procurement regulations, to order the closure of establishments, and to subject traffic to specific rules in the affected areas.
In terms of security and humanitarian aid, the planned measures include strengthening security arrangements, deploying the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAd'H) in support of the Haitian National Police (PNH), and implementing special security measures. The government may also order the evacuation of individuals when their safety requires it, requisition private relief resources and shelters if public resources are insufficient, and make arrangements to receive and provide supplies to displaced populations.
The decree also provides for the establishment of financial assistance programs for victims, the mobilization of national and international resources and, if operations require it, the suspension of certain essential services, including road, maritime, air and telephone communications.
The decree will be implemented by the Ministries of Justice and Public Security (MJSP), Interior and Territorial Communities (MICT), Defence (MD), Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR), Public Works, Transport and Communications (MTPTC), Economy and Finance (MEF), Planning and External Cooperation (MPCE), Trade and Industry (MCI), and Public Health and Population (MSPP).
This state of emergency is the third to be declared for these three departments in thirteen months. The first two were adopted between August 9 and November 9, 2025, for the first, and between June 3 and September 3, 2026, for the second. While these exceptional measures are intended to give the State more resources to act, particularly against insecurity, the situation remains worrying. Between July and August 2026, according to the UNFPA, nearly 2,600 people were displaced in Kenscoff and approximately 6,250 others in Artibonite, following deadly attacks by armed gangs, even though the West and Artibonite departments were under a state of emergency.
The declaration of a state of emergency has become a recurring practice in recent years. Between 2024 and 2025, this exceptional measure was decreed multiple times under the governments of Ariel Henry, Garry Conille, and Alix Didier Fils-Aimé. Starting in early March 2024, a state of emergency was declared under Ariel Henry's government for the West Department, before being extended to several communes in the Artibonite Department in July 2024, and then to the entire national territory in September of the same year, remaining in effect until January 2025. In all cases, these declarations were justified by the deteriorating security situation. Nevertheless, the results remain increasingly mixed.
Posted Oct. 27, 2026