Since 2018, much of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince has been the site of gang wars due to decreasing government influence, exacerbated by the assassination of Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
In response, a Haitian policeman named Chariot Casimir and his gang called Tout Poussaint took over the area, and became increasingly greedier in extorting the civilian population.
The leader of 400 Mawozo, Lanmò 100 Jou, collaborated with Haitian authorities at the beginning of 2022 to gain influence over areas near Plaine du Cul-de-Sac and several parts of it.
Locals and 400 Mawozo members claimed that Lanmi 100 Jou desired more of the area, and at the time of the conflict, was ready to attack the Chen Mechan base.
[2] Tensions rose on April 22 and 23 in La Plaine du Cul-de-Sac, after the murder of a police officer in Shaba neighborhood by Chen Mechan members.
[3] The first fighting began on April 24, just before 5am, members of 400 Mawozo stormed the Michaud, Butte Boyer, Mapou Street, and Swamp areas of Plaine du Cul-de-Sac simultaneously, ransacking houses and killing civilians.
[3] That same day, seventeen women at a hotel in the Butte Boyer area were raped and then murdered by 400 Mawozo fighters, claiming they were insiders for Chen Mechan.
In the attack, Pe Lebren, a gang leader allied with 400 Mawozo, fled to Cité Doudoune, another suburb of Port-au-Prince, but was caught by Chen Mechan and executed.
[4] From April 25 to May 5, members of Chen Mechan searched homes of surviving civilians in Butte Boyer neighborhood, looking for 400 Mawozo supporters.