Massacre in Haiti

Photo: Screenshot of video footage of people fleeing as a criminal gang commits murders in Haiti. (Photo courtesy of CMC)

Despite a pledge by Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille to crack down on the gangs, at least 20 people, including children, were reportedly killed on Thursday when an armed gang attacked a small town in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.

Initial reports indicate that more than 50 other people were injured when Gran Grif gang members rampaged through Pont-Sondé in the central Artibonite region northwest of the capital Port-au-Prince.

Video footage shows groups of people fleeing the violence on motorcycles and on foot.

The spokeswoman for the Commission for Dialogue, Reconciliation and Awareness to Save the Artibonite, Bertide Harace, said on a radio station here that the Gran Grif gang set fire to houses and cars in the town of Pont-Sondé.

“Many people fled and left the area,” she told radio listeners.

Public prosecutor Venson François, based in Saint-Marc, called the attack a “massacre” in an interview with Radio Caraïbes.

Despite the presence of the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, the criminal gangs, which have taken control of a large majority of the capital, continue to spread fear in the country that has been without an elected government and head of state. since President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his private residence on July 7, 2021.

Authorities have not said how many people were killed in Thursday’s massacre. Local media report that there are more than fifty people and a Haitian human rights organization estimates the number at twenty or more.

Media reports describe Gran Grif as one of Haiti’s most violent gangs.

In January last year, members were accused of attacking a police station near Port-Sondé and killing six officers. The country is also accused of forcing the closure of a hospital that serves more than 700,000 people.

The gang has about 100 members and has been accused of crimes including murder, rape, robbery and kidnapping.

According to a UN report, Prophane Victor, a former lawmaker representing the Artibonite chapter, began arming young men who eventually formed the Gran Grif gang to secure his election and control of the area.

Last month, the United States imposed sanctions on Victor.

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, October 4, CMC –

CMC/af/ir/2024

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