The Cité Soleil massacre continues to plunge the population of this commune into an endless nightmare. A witness describes seeing the collective killing orchestrated by gang leader Micanor and which plunges entire families into mourning. Wrongly accused of witchcraft, fathers of families, pillars of their loved ones, were brutally executed. Between pain, anger and thirst for justice, the poignant testimonies of the victims highlight the barbarity which continues to devastate this community left to its own devices.
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According to theUN, at least 184 dead were executed in a few days by a gang leader. The massacre of incredible violence was carried out in the name of the voodoo cult. We are talking about a lawless zone where the Haitian police have not visited for years. Very few details have leaked out, but a witness saw everything.
On condition of anonymity, he tells us that, on Friday December 6 in the afternoon, he saw a crowd of 200 to 300 people, surrounded by armed men, in the center of Wharf Jeremievery close to Port-au-Prince. Civilians were forced to parade in front of this gang leader sitting on a chair, for a mock trial: “ People were brought to him one by one and he asked them: “Are you evil? Do you do black magic?” And if he thought so, we’d tie their hands behind their backs and put them away », he explains to Vincent Souriaufrom RFI’s international service.
That evening, nearly 80 people were executed in cold blood on the pretext that they practiced voodoo. Our source managed to escape. She did not witness these killings, but according to what was reported to her, it was Micanor Altès in person, the leader of this gang, who carried out these assassinations.
From 6 a.m. the next morning, raids took place throughout the neighborhood. There were at least 50 deaths on the second day, killed with machetes and pistols. An incredible carnage, born in the mind of Micanor Altès, after the death of her newborn. “ He claimed that his son had died because of a curse and that to get out of it, he himself had to make a pact with the devil. He said it several times during this mock trial », Reports the witness again.
A murderous madness which lasted until Monday evening, when the men of Micanor Altès passed through town with a megaphone to let the terrorized population know that the massacre was over.
Poignant testimonies
The massacre perpetrated in Cité Soleil plunges the victims’ loved ones into distress, like this young girl who lost her father: “ Micanor sent two motorcycles. As my father sat outside the house, they called him. My father said : “What did I do? I don’t have a problem with anyone. I’m innocent.” So he went to see them, with a clear conscience », she says on the microphone of Peterson LuxamaRFI correspondent in Port-au-Prince. But it was the last time his dad would cross the threshold of the house. He was mercilessly executed, wrongly accused of witchcraft.
Dayana – real name – is another young girl whose father suffered the same fate. She mourns the departure of a guide, a pillar and her main support: “ Sometimes when I’m in trouble, it’s my father who comes to my rescue. I know I can lean on his shoulder. Micanor decided to take his life, like that. I demand justice. »
Irreplaceable losses for many families. Mackeson Cange’s story is no different. His father was stabbed before being burned: “ The bandits took away a friend, a confidant, because when my father spoke to me, it was as if we were two good friends. » In Cité Soleil, the threat is still present. According to several sources, relatives of the victims are beginning to flee the area, because the bandits threaten to continue the carnage.