The Battle For Cite Soliel

City of Port Au Prince, Cite Soleil is in the northern section

Cite Soleil is an impoverished area of Port Au Prince where people live in wet and cramped conditions

Bois Neuf section of Cite Soleil was the location of gang leader wanted by Haitian and UN forces.Extremely densely populated, Bois Neuf is home to 6,500 residents most of whom live in shacks.

In December 2006, Chinese FPUs in APCs with Jordanian SWAT elements moved into the section of Cite Soleil known as Bois Neuf to arrest a gang leader. Narrow streets and concrete barriers restricted the mobility of the APCs and hostile fire from gang elements prompted a retreat of UN forces.

An assault on gangs in Cite Soleil in January 2007 was led by Brazilian military unit who engaged gang members in a firefight. Residents of Cite Soleil began rioting after fire fight broke out. The UN commander called in an FPU to rapidly respond with non-lethal force and suppress the riot. After clearing the streets of demonstrators UN military and police units along with Haitian forces went house to house and neutralized the gang threat.

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