HAITIAN police have tear-gassed hundreds of peaceful protesters in the capital Port-au-Prince.

Participants in Monday’s demonstration called on the authorities to help them stop the gangs that have violently seized control of their neighbourhoods.

Protesters burned tyres to show their anger at the police action and express their frustration, as recent efforts to quell rampant gang violence in Port-au-Prince have been unsuccessful.

One of the protesters, phone repair worker Marclin Jean-Pierre, who lives in the hillside neighbourhood of Solino, said he took to the streets “to express my anger towards the government, who isn’t listening.”

“We’re vulnerable to the bullets being fired day and night. Everyone is scared to walk outside because we’ll be the next victims,” he said. “We’re asking them for help and they’re not coming.”

In Solino, the gangs have attempted to seize the strategic road leading to the capital’s international airport.

Despite recently appointed Prime Minister Garry Conille promising to prioritise security and the arrival of around 400 Kenyan police officers as part of a US-sponsored international mission, many people in Haiti say that they’ve had no respite from the bloodshed.

Gang have taken over much of the country since the killing of president Jovenel Moise in 2021 and they currently control about 80 per cent of Port-au-Prince.