The SPNH-17, the Haitian National Police (PNH) union, on the occasion of Haiti's 222nd Independence Day, denounces an independence that exists only on paper that is betrayed in our daily lives, where gangs, traitors, and those who profit from insecurity control the lives of citizens.

Message from SPNH-17 :

"222 years after the proclamation of Haiti’s Independence, the Haitian people begin this new January 1st amidst bullets, kidnappings, rapes, forced displacement, and humiliation abroad. Independence exists on paper, but it is betrayed in our daily lives, where gangs, traitors, and those who profit from insecurity control the lives of citizens.

Our ancestors had neither sophisticated weapons, nor drones, nor technology. What they possessed was conscience, unity, and courage. Together they rose up against the French colonists; together they broke the chains of slavery. Even today, the solution cannot lie in division : it lies in the unity of the people, the victims, and the police.

Valiant Haitian police officers, this fight is not a fight against the people, it is a fight for the people. Haiti is our country. No visa or residency can replace the dignity of living at home. We have no other country.

Today, there are armed gangs, gangs in uniform, gangs in suits, gangs with microphones, gangs in the public and private sectors, national and international gangs. But they all have only one interest : the business of insecurity. It is this business that is killing Haiti.

This January 1st, 2026, must not be just a day of celebration, but a starting point. A collective commitment to say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH ! Victims of insecurity, police officers, youth, women, members of the diaspora : we must all rise up together !

SPNH-17 declares 2026 a year of resistance and war against gangs of all kinds. This is a national struggle to save Haiti, so that we can once again live as human beings, with respect, security, and dignity.

Independence is not an inheritance, it is a fight! This fight is our collective responsibility !"

IH/ iciHaiti