Gunmen belonging to the Gran Grif gang killed at least 70 people, including three children, and forced at least 3,000 to flee as they attacked a Haitian city, the UN said on Friday (4).
“We are horrified by Thursday’s (3) gang attacks in the city of Pont-Sonde in Haiti,” UN spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said in a statement.
At least 16 other people were seriously injured in the attack in the early hours of Thursday, including two gang members who were shot during an exchange of fire with police. Haitiana, according to the UN.
The gang members reportedly set fire to at least 45 houses and 34 vehicles, forcing residents to flee their homes.
“This heinous crime against defenseless women, men and children is not just an attack against the victims, but against the entire nation Haitiana,” said Prime Minister Garry Conille on X.
“Security forces, supported by our international partners, are reinforcing their intervention,” he added.
In an audio message shared on social media on Thursday (4), Gran Grif leader Luckson Elan, who was sanctioned by the UN last month, blamed the state and victims for the attacks, accusing residents of remaining passive while its soldiers were killed by police or vigilante groups.
“It’s the fault of the residents of Pont-Sondé. What happened in Pont-Sondé is the State’s fault,” he said.
Local media reported on Thursday that thousands of Pont-Sondé residents were heading to the coastal town of Saint-Marc.
Pont-Sondé is a large rice producer located in the Artibonite region, in Haitiat an important intersection that connects the capital Port-au-Prince to the north.
The Artibonite region has been the scene of some of the worst episodes of violence outside the capital, worsening the hunger crisis that has already left half of the population suffering from severe food insecurity.
The number of people internally displaced by the conflict has surpassed 700,000, almost doubling in six months, despite the partial deployment of a UN-backed mission to help under-resourced police restore order.
The government of Haiti requested that the mission, which is made up of voluntary contributions and has so far received only a fraction of the resources promised to it, be converted into a formal UN peacekeeping mission. This proposal was blocked by Russia and China in the UN Security Council.
The UN estimated, at the end of September, that 3,661 people had died in the conflict since January, which is equivalent to more than 13 deaths per day this year.
With information from Reuters.
Note from Itamaraty
The Brazilian government became aware of the “massacre perpetrated by criminal groups” in a note released this Friday (4).
Itamaraty stated that “the criminal action caused dozens of deaths, estimated at more than 70, in addition to leaving people injured and homeless.”
In the statement, the Brazilian government expressed “condolences to the families of the victims and the wish for a speedy recovery for the injured” and expressed “solidarity with the people and authorities of Haiti”.
Furthermore, Itamaraty “reiterates its commitment to contributing to the Caribbean country returning, as soon as possible, to the path of peace and development”, in the note.
This content was originally published in Massacre in Haiti: gangs kill at least 70 people on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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