Gangs attacked the small town of Port-Sondée in central Haiti early Thursday.
4.10. 18:45•Updated 4.10. 18:59
According to the UN, more than 70 people have died in an attack by a criminal gang on a small town in central Haiti. Port-Sondé came under attack early Thursday. People were shot in the street and, according to the UN, at least 45 buildings were set on fire.
The leader of the Gran Grif gang that carried out the attack Luckson Elan said in an audio message that the city was attacked because the residents had passively followed the actions of the security forces against the gang. Elan blamed the residents and the Haitian state for the bloodshed.
According to local media, a large part of the city’s residents have now fled.
Gang violence in Haiti has left most of the capital, Port-au-Prince, under the control of rival armed groups.
The UN has approved a police operation to calm the situation, but the start of the operation has been slow. Kenya has promised to send a total of 1,000 police officers to Haiti. About 400 of the police officers have arrived. A few other countries have also promised to join the operation.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Caribbean and has long suffered from gang violence. In February, the situation got out of hand when it turned out that the prime minister Ariel Henry tried to get an international police force to support the authorities. The gangs launched coordinated attacks on police stations, prisons and the Port-au-Prince airport.
Story edited on October 4, 2024 at 6:59 p.m.: Added information about the residents’ escape and the gang leader’s statement.
Sources: AP, Reuters