Gang shot at least 70 people in Haiti, UN plans to strengthen peacekeeping mission
Haitian police (photo: Getty Images)
In Haiti, members of the Gran Grif gang opened fire on residents in the town of Pont-Sondé. As a result of the attack, at least 70 people were killed, including children, reports Reuters.
The attack has shocked and unsettled the Caribbean nation, which is already accustomed to outbreaks of violence.
The shooting occurred on Thursday in Pont-Sondé, located in the agricultural region of Artibonite in western Haiti.
The leader of the Gran Grif gang, Luckson Elan, claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that it was allegedly an act of revenge against the passivity of civilians while police and law enforcement were eliminating members of his gang.
According to the UN migration agency, around 6,270 people have been displaced due to such attacks in Haiti. Additionally, the organization has called for an increased international peacekeeping mission in the country.
Local authorities reported that gang members set fire to dozens of homes and vehicles, marking this incident as one of the deadliest in recent years in Haiti.
Prime Minister Garry Conille tweeted that the shooting in Pont-Sondé was an attack against the entire Haitian nation.
A representative from the Haitian national police informed Reuters on Friday that, in the aftermath of the tragedy, the police director responsible for the Artibonite department was replaced. He stated that reinforcements had been dispatched to the area and that security forces were controlling the situation.
Reports indicate that among the dozens of fatalities are ten women and three infants. Additionally, 16 people have been reported injured, including two gang members due to a shootout with police.
Bertide Horace, a spokesperson from the Dialogue and Reconciliation Commission to Save the Artibonite Valley, told Reuters that many victims were shot in the head as gang members went from house to house.
The human rights organization RNDDH believes the death toll may be higher, as entire families have reportedly been wiped out. According to them, rumors of a potential massacre in retaliation for community members assisting law enforcement had been circulating for two months, as the police had been preventing the gang from extorting money on the national highway through the town.
"If funds allocated to the intelligence service of various state institutions had been used effectively, the Pont-Sonde massacre could have been avoided," stated the RNDDH human rights advocates.
In March, the capital of Port-au-Prince found itself besieged due to the uprising of armed gangs. As a result, the US, EU, and other countries evacuated their diplomatic missions amid the situation.
Additionally, in the summer of 2021, we reported on the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse during an attack on his residence. The Haitian government requested that the US send troops to protect the country's critical infrastructure.
