Residents of Haiti's Cite Soleil demand protection after gang violence displaces hundreds

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Residents of the Cite Soleil neighborhood in Haiti's capital protested Tuesday, demanding government protection after gang violence forced hundreds of people to flee their homes over the weekend.

Roselaine Jean-Pierre, 67, was among two dozen people who gathered at an intersection in Cite Soleil holding tree branches and demanding that police intervene in the area, even as gunshots were ringing nearby.

“I did not do anything to deserve this,” said Jean-Pierre, who fled her home on Sunday, and is now sleeping in the streets of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Some of the protesters said they saw people getting killed over the weekend in Cite Soleil, where burned cars and dead cows could also be observed. Haitian authorities have not released any information on casualties.

“I know of seven people that have been killed and also people that have been shot,” said Michel-Ange Toussaint, who had returned briefly to her home in Cite Soleil to gather some clothes.

She said the attacks on civilians began Sunday around 6 p.m., prompting many people to flee the area in search of safety. “It is our good feet that saved us,” Toussaint said.

Gangs have overtaken Port-au-Prince since the assassination of President Jovenal Moïse in July 2021 at his home. Police say they control about 70% of the capital and have expanded their activities — including looting, kidnapping, sexual assaults and rape — into the countryside. Haiti has not had a president since the assassination.

In a statement released Monday, the humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders announced the evacuation of its hospital in Cite Soleil following the intense clashes Sunday.

The Centre Hospitalier de Fontaine, another hospital that operates in Cite Soleil, said on Tuesday that it had also suspended operations due to the outbreak of violence that began Sunday, and had to evacuate all of its hospitalized patients, including 11 newborns.

In April, the first foreign troops linked to a U.N. force arrived in Haiti to help quell ongoing violence.

The U.N. Security Council in late September approved a plan to authorize a 5,550-member force, which has not fully arrived in the island nation. An unknown number of troops from Chad have so far been deployed.

A report published earlier this year by the International Organization for Migration found that gang violence has displaced more than 1.4 million people in Haiti, with approximately 200,000 of them now living in crowded and underfunded sites in the nation’s capital.

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Residents of Cité Soleil celebrate the arrival of armored police vehicles during a protest to demand that police officers go and fight the gangs that control their neighborhood, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

A woman leaves her home to escape clashes between armed gangs in the Cité Soleil neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Vehicles that were set on fire by armed gangs sit in the Cite Soleil neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

A resident of Cité Soleil kneels before a police armored vehicle and demands that the police go and fight the gangs that control their neighborhood, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Residents of Cité Soleil celebrate the arrival of armored police vehicles during a protest to demand that police officers go and fight the gangs that control their neighborhood, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Residents flee their homes to escape clashes between armed gangs in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, May 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

People displaced from their homes due to clashes between armed gangs take refuge at a police station in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, May 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Residents flee their homes to escape clashes between armed gangs in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, May 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

BALTIMORE (AP) — Anthony Volpe's demotion to the minor leagues lasted just a week, and the shortstop rejoined the New York Yankees on Tuesday after José Caballero was diagnosed with a broken right middle finger.

In the midst of a four-game losing streak, New York recalled Volpe from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before Tuesday night's game at the Baltimore Orioles and placed Caballero on the 10-day injured list.

“He's had a number of at-bats and a lot of reps down there, a lot of playing time, kind of a more than a full spring training,” manager Aaron Boone said of Volpe. “So hopefully, he's ready to go and come up here and be a spark for us.”

Volpe arrived around game time and was in the Yankees dugout in the early innings. Max Schuemann started at shortstop for a second straight game.

Boone made it apparent Volpe will get most of the playing time at shortstop until Caballero returns.

“Yeah, I would expect him to,” the manager said. “I would expect Anthony to play a lot.”

A Gold Glove winner as a rookie in 2023, Volpe had surgery Oct. 14 to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He began a 20-day minor league injury rehabilitation assigning on April 14 and was optioned to the RailRiders on May 3 — day 20 — after hitting .250 (11 for 44) with one homer and six RBIs in 13 minor league games.

He hit. 167 (4 for 25) with two doubles and two RBIs in five games with Scranton, leaving his overall minor league stats this year at .221 with one homer and eight RBIs in 18 games.

Because his optional assignment at Scranton was less than 20 days, he will be credited with major league service during that time period. He remains on track to be eligible for free agency after the 2028 World Series.

Volpe, 25, was New York’s starting shortstop from 2023-25 but struggled at the plate, hitting .222 with 52 homers, 192 RBIs and 70 stolen bases over three seasons. His .212 average last year was 144th among 145 qualifiers, his play hampered after he hurt his hurt his left shoulder on May 3.

Caballero was hurt diving back to first base on a pickoff attempt by Milwaukee's Abner Uribe during the ninth inning of Sunday’s 4-3 loss at the Brewers, even though he was wearing a sliding mitt. He pinch ran in the ninth inning Monday night and was thrown out attempting to steal second for the final out in the Yankees' 3-2 defeat to the Orioles. Plate umpire Nic Lentz called Caballero safe but was reversed in a video review as a Yankees' loss ended with a caught stealing for the first time since Curtis Granderson against the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 9, 2011.

Acquired from Tampa Bay last July 31, the 29-year-old Caballero started 39 games at shortstop and is hitting .249 with four homers, 13 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.

Boone expects Caballero's time on the IL to be brief, and indicated he will reclaim the starting job at shortstop when he returns.

“Hopefully it's just the 10 days,” Boone said. “Just depends on how he heals up over the next few days. He's got a small fracture in there. Tendons, ligaments all good.”

Caballero tried to convince Boone he would be able to play after a few days off, but the manager didn't accept the argument

“We just didn't want to risk him doing something more to it where it becomes something he had to deal with all summer,” Boone said.

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A trainer checks on New York Yankees' José Caballero after he was hit by a pitch during the third inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' José Caballero, left, is caught by Baltimore Orioles second baseman Blaze Alexander, right, while trying to steal second base during the ninth inning of a baseball game, Monday, May 11, 2026, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)