A powerful gang coalition has launched new attacks on Haiti’s capital, while police vow to hold the gunmen back.

Gangs launched a new attack on Haiti’s capital early Tuesday, killing an unknown number of civilians in what used to be a peaceful neighborhood.

Armed gangs attacked the Carrefour Feuilles neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, on Tuesday. According to VOA Creole's reporter on the ground, the attack lasted four hours, during which gangs set fire to homes and pillaged their contents.

Haiti’s police say they will step up efforts to combat the country’s deepening gang crisis after a series of fresh attacks in Port-au-Prince forced more families to flee their homes this week. Authorities evacuated students near the famed Oloffson Hotel after gunfire rang out in western parts of the capital,