Since January 12, 2024, it has been impossible for the Haitian government to meey in that building.

The online newspaper Haiti Libre considered that after so much time, this cabinet meeting marks a symbolic and decisive step in the gradual resumption of state control over downtown Port-au-Prince.

The recovery of the National Palace, in the newspaper’s opinion, is the result of hard work that illustrates the state’s desire to restore its authority and reaffirm its presence in the heart of the capital.

The National Palace was the target of gang members who have attacked the port, schools, universities, police stations, prisons, ministries, bank branches, community warehouses, the National Printing Office, which published its first publication in 1804, and set fire to a 96,000-square-meter warehouse in the free trade zone.

They also attacked private cars, a religious seminary, Haiti’s first Baptist Church, more than 180 years old, and more than a dozen pharmacies. In April 2024, in a demonstration that they meant business, they burned down the home of the then commander-in-chief of the Haitian National Police, Frantz Elbe.

Their record became even more notorious when they opened fire on a Spirit Airlines plane during a landing maneuver, which ended up in the Dominican Republic with a wounded flight attendant.

Following the attack, an inspection was conducted on aircraft flying to Port-au-Prince, and it was discovered that the bandits had already made holes in a Jet Blue and an American Airlines plane.

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