Rising tensions in Haiti came to a desperate point last month when the country’s prime minister agreed to resign under mounting pressure from organized criminal gangs within the countr y. A chain of natural disasters, decades of political unrest, economic instability, and a power vacuum left by the president’s assassination in 2021 have allowed these gangs to become increasingly powerful. In 2024, organized gangs controlled about 80% of Haiti’s capital and killed over 1500 people this year, according to the New York Times. Hundreds of thousands of Haitians have fled the country, and many have ended up in Cambridge, MA.
As the unrest continues , the Register Forum reached out to students at CRLS with connections to the country about their hopes and fears for Haiti. Here is what they said.
Dariana Joseph Zidor ’26, who grew up in Haiti’s capital, Port Au Prince, explained that she left the city for fear of being caught in the violence. “Everywhere you go, you’d hear guns firing. Everyone was frightened, and they burned down the police station in the place I was.” Today, armed gangs control nearly all of Port Au Prince.
Dariana moved to Cambridge in July of 2023 . It was hard to speak English all the time, she said, when she’d only known a little bit from school. “And I missed my friends, and I miss the beach. There are so many beautiful beaches in Haiti,” she added.
Dariana is still in contact with friends and family in Port Au Prince. “They feel stressed and scared right now because the place is not good,” she told the Register Forum. “I’m scared about losing them in the gang violence.” Until the problem is resolved, Dariana said, she can’t risk going back to her country.
N’Dee Antoine ’26, another CRLS student who moved from Haiti this year, grew up just south of Port Au Prince and spent summers in the city. He also explained why he left: “Haiti is a good country, but we have a lot of corruption in the government – people don’t want to take responsibility. That’s the main problem.”
N’Dee still sends and receives photos with his friends and family, although he says that they’re scared right now. “They all want to quit the country, they all want to go away,” he said. “My friend, she is in the hospital right now because of fighting.” Since coming to CRLS in September, N’Dee has been able to find safety, but his heart remains at home.“I am good,” he said, “but I am still missing Haiti.”
Emma Piello ’27 and Neicka Philippe ’26 also moved from Haiti this year. Dariana translated for them.
“I have a lot of family and friends still in Haiti, I’m still in contact with some of them.
There is a lot of activity that people can’t do right now, like selling things,” Neicka said.
Both of them miss their homes. “I miss the food, the fun in Haiti because in Haiti we have a lot of fun, and the sea,” Pearl said. Neicka added, “I miss the schools – we have fun in the class in Haiti.”
For Dariana, the situation is stark, but not without hope. She ended the interview with one request: “Let’s pray for Haiti.”
