Residents fleeing clashes between rival armed groups gathered on Monday near routes leading to Toussaint Louverture International Airport after gunmen attacked neighborhoods, burned homes and expanded fighting across parts of Port-au-Prince, according to residents and local authorities.

Monique Verdieux, 56, said she escaped after armed men set houses ablaze in her neighborhood, leaving her separated from relatives who fled in different directions.“I am now sleeping in the street,” Verdieux said, adding that returning home was too dangerous.

The latest violence underscores the deepening collapse of public security in Haiti, where gangs have steadily expanded territorial control since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Authorities estimate criminal groups now control more than 90% of Port-au-Prince, while kidnappings, looting and sexual violence have spread beyond the capital into rural regions.

Haiti has remained without an elected president since Moïse was killed at his private residence, contributing to a prolonged political vacuum and weakening state institutions.Security concerns near the airport have also alarmed major businesses operating in the country.

Haitian rum producer Rhum Barbancourt and two of the nation’s largest bottling companies warned in a joint statement on Sunday that worsening insecurity and damaged roads around the airport were hampering patrols by security forces and disrupting commercial activity.

“The government’s response has been largely insufficient,” the companies said, adding that deteriorating road conditions near the airport had further undermined efforts to secure the area.Operations at the airport are now severely restricted, according to the statement.

The violence has intensified despite the gradual deployment of an international security mission backed by the United Nations. In April, the first contingent of foreign troops linked to the mission arrived in Haiti to support local police in combating armed groups.

The U.N. Security Council approved plans in September for a multinational force of 5,550 personnel, although the full contingent has yet to be deployed.

Troops from Chad are among those reported to have arrived in the country.According to the International Organization for Migration, gang violence has displaced more than 1.4 million people across Haiti.

The agency said roughly 200,000 displaced people are living in overcrowded and underfunded shelters in the capital.