Over 115 dead after gang attack in Central Haiti
More than 6,000 people have fled their homes due to the attacks, and most are being sheltered by families living in nearby towns.
At least 115 people, including three infants, were killed and another 16 seriously injured after an hours-long gang attack in the central town of Pont Sondé in the Artibonite department on October 3, making it one of Haiti’s biggest massacres in recent history. Two gang members were also injured during an exchange of gunfire with police.
According to a statement by United Nations (UN) Human Rights Office Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan, the “Gran Grif” gang used automatic rifles to shoot civilians before reportedly setting fire to at least 45 houses and 34 vehicles.
Over 6,000 people have been displaced by the attack, with many being sheltered by families in other towns while others are staying in makeshift camps. In a country that experiences numerous massacres and seeks little justice for its victims, local authorities say this attack is one of the deadliest in recent years.
In an audio message published on social media, Gran Grif’s leader, Luckson Elan claimed responsibility for the assault and blamed the government and Pont Sondé residents for the attack. He was sanctioned by the United Nations a few days before the violence.
The Gran Grif gang, which is the powerful gang in Artibonite, has already been accused of mass kidnappings, rape, murder, hijackings, child recruitment, and the forcing of farmers off their lands. Moreover, the gang’s control over the city’s agricultural production, which produces 80 per cent of the nation’s rice according to an April 2024 report, has worsened Haiti’s food insecurity crisis.
According to the World Food Programme, Haiti already has some of the highest levels of food insecurity in the world, with nearly half its population facing food scarcity. This is partly due to extreme weather events, which Haiti is particularly vulnerable to.
Last week, Kenya called for urgent financial support from the international community to sustain a police deployment in Haiti. Kenya has been an active respondent to the crisis, heading the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission, which was approved by the United Nations Security Council in October 2023 and was renewed for another 12 months in late September 2024. As of September 30, 410 Kenyan police officers were stationed in Haiti, with the number of total troops expected to grow to 2,500.
The MSS mission is a response to Haiti’s gang violence, which escalated to a full-scale crisis following decades of instability after the assassination of Haiti’s Prime Minister Jovenel Moïse in 2021. According to the United Nations Human Rights Office, more than 3,600 people have been killed so far this year in Haiti by gang violence.
Furthermore, at least 700,000 people, more than half of which are children, have been internally displaced by the violence, according to the International Organization for Migration. In the past seven months, more than 110,000 Haitians have fled their homes due to gang violence.
Some Haitians have also attempted to flee the country altogether, seeking refuge in the neighbouring Dominican Republic (DR). However, in early October, the DR announced plans to forcefully return up to 10,000 Haitian migrants a week, an intention which has long been opposed by the UN.
