Dozens killed in Haiti in 2 weeks of gun battles, thousands flee homes

Residents raise their arms as they flee their homes due to ongoing gun battles between rival gangs, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti May 2, 2022. REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol

(Reuters) - Gun battles between rival gangs in Port-au-Prince have killed dozens in the past two weeks and forced thousands to flee their homes, Haiti's civil protection authority and a U.N. agency said.

The Chen Mechan and 400 Mawozo gangs, the latter of which kidnapped a group of U.S. and Canadian missionaries last year, have been waging turf wars since April 24, killing at least 39 people and creating havoc in and around the capital.