Haitian Civil War (PresidentOfYes12)

The Haitian Civil War was a civil war that occurred from July 9th, 2021 to October 3rd, 2021. in Haiti. It grew from widespread protests in Haiti against its allegedly corrupt government, and was sparked by the assassination of its president, Jovenel Moise, on or around July 9, 2021. The Armed Forces of Haiti engaged in combat with various rebel or opposition groups around Haiti, namely the Pitt Desalin Forces (from the Pitt Desalin party) in or around Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.

Political tensions prior to the war had been increasing immensely due to widespread opposition to the allegedly corrupt government of Jovenel Moise. Many demonstrators called for Moise's resignation and the installation of a transitional government because they believed his presidency should have ended on February 7, 2021, 5 years after his predecessor, Michael Martelly, resigned, along with other reasons (shown below). However, he refused to do so, sparking massive protests and demonstrations. The system eventually developed into a political crisis, with a total of 233 people, 187 being protesters, being recorded to have been killed in the violence.

On July 9th, a civil war was sparked after President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his home on July 7th. A militia set up by some members of the Tet Kale party, the party that Moise had been a part of, attacked opposition leader Jean-Charles Moise, injuring him. Upon hearing gunshots near the area that Jean-Charles had been temporarily residing in, opposition protesters attacked the militia, sparking what was regarded as the first battle of the civil war in the neighborhood of Bel Air, Port-au-Prince. 70 people died in the clashes, and the newly created Pitt Desalin Forces occupied the northern and central portions of Bel Air. By that time, the interim government had begun ordering multiple attacks, raiding, and sometimes even damaging or destroying, the houses of people suspected to be members of the opposition militia, or the opposition in general. Eventually, multiple factions emerged, with 2 allied pro-government militias, the Tet Kale Fighting Front and the G9 Family, along with the Haitan Armed Forces, attacking 2 allied opposition militia's, namely the aforementioned Pitt Desalin Forces. Eventually, after multiple months of fighting, and some time after UN military intervention, the Pitt Desalin Forces seized the capital Port-au-Prince on October 3rd, 2021. However, instead of imprisoning or killing government officials, they had the officials like the president sign an (unofficial) treaty that would create a transitional government and an election on November 20, 2021- 5 years after Jovenel Moise was elected president of Haiti.

The war had a devastating effect on Haitian infrastructure, specifically in Port-au-Prince. Heavy civilian casualties were observed in the war due to multiple raids on buildings and structures thought to be inhabited by members of the Tet Kale, G9 militia's, or government officials. The war gained increased popularity, especially in the United States, after an incident where 4 Apache attack helicopters fighting the Haitian armed forces and Pro-Government Alliance militia's were downed over the city of Cité Soleil.

Background
Jovenel Moise was designated the presidential candidate for the Tet Kale party by the resigning president Michel Martelly in 2015. Elections were also held in 2015, in October. Moise received 32.8% of the vote, the highest out of all the candidates. However, a poll conducted by the Haiti Sentinel indicated that in reality, Moise only received 6% of the vote, and due to this, many of his competitors said the results were fraudulent. Due to the fact that a candidate must receive at least 50% of the vote to be elected president, a second election was mandatory. A new election was held in November of 2016, and Moise gained 55.6% of the vote, more than all the other candidates, 4 of which had claimed victory prior to the release of the official results. Moise had secured enough votes to win the election.

Some people in the opposition claimed that since Moise's predecessor, Martelly, stepped down from office February 5, 2016, Moise would have to leave office on February 5, 2021, 5 years after his predecessors resignation. However, Jovenel Moise said that he'd need to step down 5 years after he was sworn into office, meaning he'd step down in 2022.

Another reason for the political crisis was speculation on where money originally meant for the Petrocaribe program, which was an alliance that allowed shipments of oil and fuel between various Central American countries. A Senate probe revealed that corruption had been funded, partially using money obtained from the Petrocaribe program. When Venezuela stopped shipping money to Haiti in 2018, it led to significant fuel shortages. The price of kerosene grew by more than 50% during that time. The revelations that came from the probe resulted in widespread protests throughout Haiti, that eventually mixed with calls for Jovenel Moise's resignation.

On July 7, 2021, months after the time that protesters demanded that Jovenel Moise had to step down, Moise was assassinated inside his residence, allegedly by a group of 28 foreign mercenaries. This event would eventually spark the civil war.

First Battle of Bel Air
Following the assassination of Moise, an assassination attempt on Jean-Charles Moise occurred on July 9th. A group of 15 pro-Haitian government members of the Haitian Tet Kale party attacked Jean-Charles Moise in an area around Bel Air, Port-au-Prince, and he was injured. After being evacuated by nearby Haitians, a group of about 25 Haitians came outside and started clashing with the would-be assailants. The clashes grew in intensity, and soon over 50 pro-Haitian government protesters were fighting with opposition protesters. 20 people in Bel Air were armed, and after about 40 minutes of fighting, some started shooting at each other.

By then, an hour had passed since the assassination attempt on Jean-Charles Moise, and soon, over 60 members of the Haitian Army and the Haitian National Police were dispatched to end the clashes and "restore order". However, they were eventually attacked by both pro-Haitian government protesters and militants and opposition protesters and militants, and the situation devolved into what has been regarded as the first battle of the civil war. Eventually, after a total of about 4 hours of fighting, the southern and central portions of Bel-Air were seized by the opposition protesters and militia.

Reaction and announcement of UN intervention
A few days after the battle, multiple prominent figures were alerted of the clashes in Bel-Air. In a press conference, U.S President Joe Biden denounced the violence, and insinuated that the military would be sending some troops into Haiti to restore order. A local gang leader, Jimmy 'Barbecue' Cherizier, accused by some to be corroborating with the Haitian government, also denounced the violence- however, he seemed to be less fond of the opposition protesters when speaking about the event. After Jean-Charles Moise was healed, a militia within the Pitt Desalin party was set up- according to Moise, he hadn't ordered it to be set up, but he said he approved of its creation.

United Nations secretary-general António Guterres denounced the violence in Bel-Air. After another (although smaller) clash between opposition protesters and pro-Haitian government militants, President Joe Biden announced that the U.S would be launching an initiative, codenamed Operation Uphold Peace, to restore peace in Port-au-Prince and bring humanitarian aid to those in Haiti affected by the violence and lack of food and water. United States troops landed in a beach near Port-au-Prince on July 15th and set up a military station there. No shots were fired when they landed.

The placement of American troops near Port-au-Prince led to an about 2 week long stop in violence. During that time, 400 American troops were amassed in the station, along with around 40 tanks and 18 Apache attack helicopters. A minor skirmish occurred outside of the base, that resulted in 1 casualty. Following the announcement of the U.S initiative, multiple UN Security Council resolutions brought 500 more troops to assist in peace restoration efforts in Haiti. They were sent to the area that American troops had already been stationed, and landed there on July 23rd without incident.

United Nations intervention (August to late September)
While finishing preparations for intervention, 4 Sikorsky S-55s, equipped with machine guns, were sent to assault the military base in an effort to weaken the UN station and potentially drive them out. 2 UN troops died, and all of the helicopters were shot down, killing the 16 pilots and crew. The event led to a slow increase in popularity and media coverage of the intervention in Haiti.

Battle of Cité Soleil
After the assault, a large scale battle occurred in the heavily impoverished and densely populated commune of Cité Soleil. The massive militias of both opposition forces and pro-Haitian government forces battled in the commune. It began when a group of about 60 militants from the Pitt Desalin Opposition Forces were attacked by members of the G9 Family gang and the Tet Kale Fighting Front. In the initial assault, it is estimated that 14 opposition forces were killed, while 6 pro-government forces were killed. The other opposition forces scattered. After the news circulated, within 10 minutes, 70 United Nation soldiers and around 200 Haitian troopers were sent to end the violence. Pitt Desalin militants attacked a convoy of UN soldiers, killing 1 and prompting a counterattack by the UN soldiers that killed 20 PD militants.

An objective was given to a group of 30 UN soldiers- capture, or if needed, kill G9 gang leader Jimmy 'Barbecue' Cherizier, after the United Nations learned that he was partially behind the attack. The UN soldiers infiltrated a G9 gang meeting that didn't include Cherizier, but included acquaintances to him and other members of the G9 Family. However, an assault by pro-government forces disrupted the soldiers exit from the building housing the meeting. It led them into the midst of the battle, that now had over 400 soldiers or militants on each side, excluding UN troops.

First Apache down
A group of Apache attack helicopters provided cover for UN troops and civilians evacuating Cité Soleil. An RPG launched by a pro-government soldier clipped the tail end of one of the helicopters, but they stayed in the battle for an additional 10 minutes before leaving for the troop station. After more than 30 minutes of providing cover for the troops as they slowly moved closer to the troop station, another RPG slammed directly into the underside of one of the Apache helicopters. It rapidly entered a spiral, rolling over in midair, before slamming directly into 2 houses, killing the pilots, 2 of the 4 crew members, and 1 person in the house. A nearby group of Delta Force snipers were directed towards the crash site to assist in efforts to protect it until help could arrive, and the injured soldiers could be evacuated. A pair of Apache helicopters also assisted in efforts to protect the crash site after the UN soldiers made it back to the UN station.

Second and third Apache's downed
A strong, enhanced hand grenade thrown by a pro-government militant struck another Apache helicopter, and they too entered a spiral. However, they were able to land in a road safely, resulting in no casualties from the hit. A group of medical evacuation armored vehicles were able to get the crew and pilots before they crash site was inevitably overrun. The crash resulted in the need for a detour in the path of the medevacs, which were originally supposed to be reaching and evacuating the survivors of the first Apache crash. As another Apache attack helicopter hovering above tried to prevent the crowd of pro-government militants from reaching the crash site before the crew and pilot were evacuated, another RPG hit the helicopter. It spiraled downward and crashed next to the medevacs, which were initially trying to remove the inhabitants of the 2nd downed helicopter. One of the pilots were killed, and the rest of the crew suffered varying injuries. There happened to be just enough room in the vehicles to house all victims of the first crash, and they began to exit the crash sites.

Attack on medevacs
A group of 80 pro-government militants tasked with locating and destroying the convoy of medical evacuation units met with and attacked the medevacs, which were still transporting the victims outside of Cité Soleil. 3 RPGs were instantly launched in their direction, with one hitting a medical evacuation vehicle, rendering it immobile. The soldiers found themselves within a group of over 200 militia members. After holding their position for 20 minutes, another Apache helicopter quickly sweeped in, killing a majority of the militia members attacking the medevacs. It quickly left so that it couldn't be struck down. Soon, the medical evacuation convoy was able to reach it's base again and heal the wounded soldiers.

End of battle
An hour after the medevacs returned to their base at 7 PM, 20 UN troops were again deployed to disperse the violence completely. A building housing tons of ammunition was set on fire, and about 100 pounds of TNT was detonated, destroying the building and forcing the convoy to take a sharp turn to the left. They arrested numerous militant leaders, before withdrawing to the station. The fighting went on for about 10 more minutes, before it died down.

Aftermath and reactions
The battle in Cité Soleil led to extremely large media coverage of the war, specifically the battle. The UN General Assembly held a public session on the events of the day, which included a joint news conference with the UN Secretary General and the Secretary of State. Many people criticized the United Nations for allegedly failing to get the peacekeeping troops out safely.