Armed violence that has occurred since 19 October 2026 in the commune of Petite Rivière de l'Artibonite, in Haiti's Artibonite department, has forced thousands of people from their homes. According to IOM's Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), the violence primarily affected the town centre of the 2nd communal section of Bas Coursin 2, as well as the locality of L'Amour within the same section, forcing several residents of these localities and surrounding areas to flee.
Approximately 7,250 people (1,637 households) were displaced, according to DTM Emergency Tracking Tool 112, which is based on assessments carried out between 19 and 22 October 2026. Of those displaced, 60 per cent found refuge within Petite Rivière de l'Artibonite and 40 per cent in the neighbouring commune of Verrettes. Most, 86 per cent (6,215 people in 1,417 households), are staying with host families. The remaining 14 per cent (1,035 people in 220 households) settled in two displacement sites in Verrettes that already existed before these incidents: Parc Michelet Destinoble, which received 980 newly displaced people, and Ecole Flamboyant de Deschapelle, which received 55.
The figures come from direct observations and/or interviews with key informants at displacement sites and in host communities, drawn from a DTM network of more than 5,000 key informants across Haiti. They describe displacement following these incidents only. The tracker does not report casualties, the armed actors involved or humanitarian needs. DTM says it continues to monitor the situation and will provide updates should there be any further developments.
Source: International Organization for Migration (IOM), October 2026. DTM Emergency Tracking Tool 112. IOM, Haiti. IOM dates the report 22 October 2026; ReliefWeb posted it on 23 October 2026.
Update, 24 October 2026
Haitian media reports and a police statement add detail to IOM's figures.
Armed group: AlterPresse, Gazette Haiti and Le Quotidien 509 attributed the 19 October attack to the Gran Grif gang. The attack on the town centre began at about 3 a.m., AlterPresse reported. The mayor of Petite Rivière de l'Artibonite, Lereste Dort, said the police station and the town centre were the main targets, and he appealed for police reinforcements (Enfòmèm and Gazette Haiti, 19 October).
Casualties: On 20 October AlterPresse reported, citing local sources, that at least three people were killed on 19 October. One man was killed in the town centre, and AlterPresse identified him only by his first name, Bruno. Two farmers were killed in their fields in Chandelle, on the boundary between Verrettes and Liancourt. Several members of community self-defence groups were wounded, but their injuries were not life-threatening. This is a preliminary toll from a single outlet. No UN or official casualty figure had been published by 24 October.
Police response: Haiti's National Police said its Brigade de recherche et d'intervention (BRI) had launched an operation in Petite Rivière, removed barricades that armed groups had put up to block roads, and reinforced security in the town (AlterPresse, 23 October, citing a police note).
Where people are sheltering: The 1,035 people in sites are at two sites in Verrettes that existed before the violence. Parc Michelet Destinoble in Savanne Bourg holds 980 people (205 households), and École Flamboyant de Deschapelle holds 55 people (15 households) (IOM DTM Emergency Tracking Tool 112).
Wider picture: UN OCHA said on 23 October that this displacement, together with violence in Arcahaie on 18 October (nearly 2,900 people) and attacks in Gros Morne in late September (more than 10,000 people), had displaced more than 20,000 people in Haiti in less than a month. Most of them are staying with host families. OCHA said this places heavy demands on communities with limited resources of their own.
A repeated pattern: IOM has recorded repeated displacement from Petite Rivière this year. Attacks in Petite Rivière and Dessalines between 28 March and 6 April displaced about 13,573 people.
Needs: World's Aid found no published needs assessment or response plan for this displacement as of 24 October.
19 Oct 2026 Haiti
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