The Americas | Lawless and disordered

The last scraps of the Haitian state are evaporating

Rape, murder and theft have long been facts of life

A police officer walks past a burnt out police station that was set on fire by armed gangs in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Photograph: AP
|Port-au-Prince

Haitians have suffered through 19 changes of leadership in the 38 years since the Duvalier dictatorship fell. The 20th is nigh. As The Economist went to press on March 7th, gangs had an iron grip on Port-au-Prince, the capital. The prime minister, Ariel Henry, is currently in Puerto Rico. He is unable to return to the country he ostensibly governs, and is under pressure to step down from gang leaders and interested governments alike.

This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline “A state vanishes”

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