The death toll in a gang attack on a small Haitian town rises to 115, a local official says

By EVENS SANON and PIERRE-RICHARD LUXAMA

PONT-SONDÉ, Haiti (AP) — The death toll in a brutal gang attack last week on a small town in central Haiti has risen to 115, a local official told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The attack on residents of Pont-Sondé on October 3 was one of the largest massacres Haiti has seen in recent history.

Myriam Fièvre, mayor of the nearby town of Saint-Marc, said on Wednesday the toll had risen to 115 and was likely to continue rising as authorities were still searching for bodies and had been unable to reach certain parts of the city.

“We are working to ensure that the public is protected,” she said in a telephone interview.

Musicians arrive at the funeral of Jean Louis Jeune Gracien, who was killed in an attack by armed gangs, in Pont-Sonde, Haiti, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

A family member cries during the funeral of Jean Louis Jeune Gracien, who was killed in an attack by armed gangs, in Pont-Sonde, Haiti, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Musicians perform during the funeral of Jean Louis Jeune Gracien, who was killed in an attack by armed gangs, in Pont-Sonde, Haiti, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

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Musicians arrive at the funeral of Jean Louis Jeune Gracien, who was killed in an attack by armed gangs, in Pont-Sonde, Haiti, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

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The UN had previously said that at least 70 people were killed last week when the Gran Grif gang overran the city in the central Artibonite region.

The victims included babies, young mothers and the elderly. The gang approached Pont-Sondé via canoes to surprise residents, a local human rights group said.

Survivors are questioning why authorities did nothing to stop the attack as the gang had warned in a video on social media that they planned to attack Pont-Sondé.

A day after the attack, officials replaced the police commissioner who oversees the Artibonite region, which has seen a surge in gang violence in recent years, with at least 20 criminal groups operating in the area, the UN said.

More than 6,200 survivors have fled Pont-Sondé and have temporarily settled in the coastal city of Saint-Marc and surrounding areas.

A majority of them are staying with relatives, but more than 750 others have nowhere to go and are sleeping on the floors of a church, a school and a public square in Saint-Marc, the UN International Organization for Migration said.

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As Saint-Marc struggles with the sudden influx of people, Fièvre warned that the Gran Grif gang is infiltrating nearby communities following the attack on Pont-Sondé.

Haiti’s National Human Rights Defense Network has said the gang was angry because a local self-defense group was trying to limit gang activity in Pont-Sondé and prevent it from taking advantage of a makeshift road toll recently imposed in the area.

Gran Grif has about 100 members and has been accused of crimes such as murder, rape, robbery and kidnapping. It was founded after former lawmaker Prophane Victor began arming young men nearly a decade ago to secure his election and control of the area, the UN said.

Victor and Gran Grif leader Luckson Elan were sanctioned by the US last month. Elan was also sanctioned by the UN Security Council, which noted that Gran Grif is “the largest and most powerful” gang in Artibonite, which committed nine mass kidnappings, including those of 157 people, between October 2023 and January 2024.

Sanon reported from Port-au-Prince, Haiti