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Haitian Gang Massacres Over 70 as Thousands Are Forced to Flee

Photo : Reuters

In a brutal assault on Thursday, gang members armed with automatic rifles stormed through Pont-Sonde, a town in Haiti’s key agricultural region of Artibonite, killing at least 70 people and forcing over 6,000 to flee their homes. The attack, which ranks among the deadliest in the country’s recent history, left dozens more severely injured and brought further chaos to a nation already grappling with spiraling violence.

The massacre, led by the notorious Gran Grif gang, was reportedly carried out as retaliation against residents who the gang leader, Luckson Elan, claimed had passively allowed vigilantes and the police to kill his soldiers. Elan, who recently appeared on international sanctions lists, took responsibility for the attack in an audio message shared on social media, blaming the town's victims and the state for his gang’s deadly assault.

Local authorities confirmed that the gang members set fire to dozens of homes and vehicles during the rampage. The attack has been condemned by Haitian leaders and international organizations alike. Prime Minister Garry Conille took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), calling it "an odious crime against defenseless women, men, and children," and stating that the massacre was an attack on the entire Haitian nation. He further added that security forces were being reinforced in the area to restore order.

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Some 6,270 people were displaced by the violence, with most seeking refuge with families in nearby towns such as Saint-Marc, while others were staying in makeshift camps. Saint-Marc's already overburdened public hospital has been struggling to treat the influx of injured survivors.

Eyewitness accounts described the horrific nature of the assault. According to Bertide Horace, a spokesperson for the Dialogue and Reconciliation Commission to Save the Artibonite Valley, gang members went door-to-door, shooting residents and burning homes. “They were left to shoot anybody. Everybody was running everywhere. They were walking, shooting people, killing people, burning people, burning homes, burning cars,” Horace recounted. She also revealed that two of her family members had been injured in the violence.

Despite rumors circulating for months about a potential gang-led massacre in the region, residents say little was done to prevent the attack. RNDDH, a prominent Haitian human rights organization, suggested the massacre could have been avoided had intelligence services acted on these warnings. In its report, the organization noted that corpses were still strewn across the ground, as families had been unable to recover their loved ones.

The Gran Grif gang, which operates out of Artibonite, has long been associated with violent crimes, including mass kidnappings, murders, rapes, hijackings, and the displacement of farmers. The gang is also notorious for recruiting children into its ranks. This latest attack is a continuation of escalating violence in Haiti, where armed gangs have taken control of most of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and have expanded their influence into rural regions.

Haiti’s national police, criticized for their lack of action during the attack, have since replaced the director of police responsible for the Artibonite department. A police spokesperson told Reuters that reinforcements had been deployed to contain the situation and that security forces were now in control. However, Horace suggested that local police were either unprepared or unwilling to confront the gang. “The gang did not meet any resistance,” she said, noting that an armored vehicle stationed nearby failed to mobilize during the attack.

The massacre has only heightened concerns over the worsening security situation in Haiti. Gang violence has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, with an estimated 3,661 people killed in the conflict since the start of 2023 alone, according to local reports. Much of the violence is believed to be fueled by weapons trafficked from the United States.

Despite promises of international support, Haiti has yet to see significant on-the-ground assistance. Neighboring countries, including the Dominican Republic and the United States, have deported migrants back to Haiti, further complicating the crisis.

Haitians have seen little justice for massacres in recent years. No progress has been made in resolving cases of mass killings dating back to 2021, including several major incidents since 2017. In some cases, police officers have been accused of participating in mass killings. One notorious gang leader, Jimmy “Barbeque” Cherizier, a former police officer, was implicated in the 2018 killing of 71 civilians in the La Saline neighborhood of Port-au-Prince.

As Haiti struggles to contain the escalating violence, the need for effective intervention and justice for victims remains critical. While the international community continues to debate how best to support the nation, the people of Haiti remain caught in the grip of a deepening humanitarian crisis.

Oct. 5, 2024 3:20 p.m. 556

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