Cite Soleil

Here is a picture of a collapsed bridge in Cite Soleil along Route 9 in Haiti.

The recent collapse of a bridge (Wout Nave Bridge) on Rivière Grise shows how poorly Haiti's road system is planned and managed. The bridge partially collapsed on March 18, 2016 at around 8:30 am at the passage of a dump truck carrying gravel. This structure used to carry over hundred heavily loaded trucks everyday that was built to support a load of twenty tons only! An investigation suggests that another possible cause of the collapse could be the stolen bolts of the bridge which were found missing. The accident was predictable as this twenty year old structure was never maintained properly by the Ministry of Public Works.

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Here are two children in the back of a car of a gang leader in the slum of Cite Soleil. These children are heavily armed . This picture was taken from a video filmed in Haiti in 2004 before the departure of Former President Jean Bertrand Aristide to exile. He is part of the group known as Chimè Cite Soleil.

In 2004, the United Nations termed the slums of Port-au-Prince and Cité Soleil as "the most dangerous place on earth." The outstation of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in February 2004 left a large number of 9 mm weapons, 38's, American-style machine guns, M-14's and hand grenades in the hands of his supporters. As a consequence of this, regular exchange of ammunition among the gangs and with the UN peacekeeping force was a routine matter. Following Aristide's exit, one study found that about 8,000 people in Port-au-Prince alone were murdered and over 35,000 sexually assaulted. Cité Soleil is an extremely impoverished and densely populated commune within the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince. The streets here are controlled by various gangs, some more violent than others. The gangs operate here like secret army. Even children here carry guns which are smuggled from the U.S and South America. They have grenade launchers, laser-guided rifles and sniper stuff; and even today, day by day, it is getting worse. It is a dangerous place on earth where the guns rule

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Here is a picture of Amaral Duclona, gang leader in Cité Soleil, Operation Bagdad.

Amaral Duclona, aka "Berthone Jolicoeur, is a charismatic Haitian who was born and brought up in the slums of Cité Soleil. He was the leader of a gang "chimeric", close to the former President Aristide and a foot soldier in the Aristide's terrorist army of Operation Baghdad. On January 6, 2004, Claude Bernard Lauture (Billy, 51 year old), a Haitian/ French businessman in the electrical engineering field, and a member of the Group of 184 (which was the most powerful coalition of "civil society" organizations in Haiti during the lead up to the 2004 coup that ousted Aristide), was abducted by gunmen while he was driving. A few hours later, his family received a ransom call of $100,000. The next day, his body was found riddled with bullets in Cité Soleil, the largest slum in Haiti. Duclona was arrested in September 2009 in the Dominican Republic and extradited to France in 2010; he was accused of kidnapping, forcible confinement and murder of Claude Lauture. In May 2014 during the first trial, the Court of Assise in Paris convicted Amaral Duclona to 25 years in jail. As per Billy's widow, Marie Louise Michele Lauture's statement, former President Jean Bertrand Aristide was behind the murder. On Friday, February 12, 2016, in the trial on appeal of Amaral Duclona, the Assize Court of Créteil (Val-de-Marne, France) has completely acquitted him of all charges as the court not get sufficient evidence from some of the key Haitian witnesses to testify against him.

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Here is a picture of the new Wharf Jérémie, in the commune of Cité Soleil.

The project was initiated in November 2013 under the various five year action plans undertaken by the Martelly Administration to put Haiti on the road to prosperity by building supportive infrastructure to rejuvenate its competitiveness and facilities for development. To allow the implementation of the project, 323 families were relocated. They voluntarily dismantled their homes and shifted to makeshift shelters or houses. The plans undertaken by his administration also include the construction of the Port of Petit-Goâve, the North Quay of the Port of Port-au-Prince, and the construction of the Unit of Port of Cabotage of Jérémie and of La Saline.

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Here is a picture of Occide Jeanty Music Academy in Cité Soleil founded by Pastor Jean Enock

The "Occide Jeanty Music Academy or the Academie Musicale Occide Jeanty (AMOJ)" was founded by Pastor Jean Enock in Cité Soleil on August 6, 2006. Pastor Enock was born and brought up in this suburb of Port-au-Prince with a dream in his mind to set up a "Haitian Youth Orchestra" which will provide an alternative to the children and adolescents who were once falling prey of gang violence (known as "Operation Bagdad") which ravaged the community between 2004-2007. After 10 years of Pastor's hard work and with its present 250 AMOJ students, the music academy has been successfully reduced the violence and misery in Cité Soleil. The most of the students come from extremely impoverished backgrounds; contribute a nominal fee to participate in the program under a small team of part time teachers. Their parents have reported substantial improvement in the characters of the children. They have become responsible, punctual and disciplined after joining the group. This is the only important artistic event in the community and a source of pride for them.

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Amaral Duclona is considered by the U.S. and MINUSTAH a gangster for killing a Canadian police officer. But Duclona says no, he is a political militant fighting for the people of Cite Soleil's interests.

His brother-in-arms, Dread Wilme, was assassinated and the lie was Cite Soleil rejoiced. But Cite Soleil honored Wilme's life, naming a street after him, Dread Wilme Boulevard.

Cite Soleil are strong supporters of twice-overthrown former President Aristide, pawn of U.S. and U.N. military interests.

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Cité Soleil is a slum City near the Capital Port-au-Prince. it is one of the poorest cities in Haiti.

Cité Soleil was originally a shanty town. it has anywhere between 200,000 to 400,000 residents

The city became known in the summer of 1966, following a fire in the slum of La Saline. The first set of homes were built there but the area was known as Cité Simone

In 1972, yet another fire displace more people and they were moved to the Boston section of Cité Simone.

In 2007 the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) was involved in several operation to get ride of the gangs

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