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(TJV) Gang members armed with automatic rifles stormed the town of Pont-Sonde in Haiti’s Artibonite region early Thursday, killing at least 70 people and forcing over 6,000 residents to flee, Reuters reported.
The brutal attack, led by the notorious Gran Grif gang, caused widespread shock across the country, which has been increasingly plagued by gang violence.
Gang members brandishing automatic rifles stormed through a town in Haiti’s main breadbasket region, killing at least 70 and forcing over 6,000 to flee, causing widespread shock even in a country grown accustomed to outbreaks of violence. https://t.co/hPlJbP334z pic.twitter.com/obLFZ4cKZB
— NTV Kenya (@ntvkenya) October 5, 2024
Reuters reported that Luckson Elan, the gang’s leader, claimed responsibility, citing revenge against civilians who remained passive while police and vigilantes targeted his members. The United Nations migration agency confirmed that over 6,000 displaced people have sought refuge with nearby families or in makeshift camps, as the attackers torched dozens of homes and vehicles.
In one of the deadliest massacres Haiti has seen in recent years, Prime Minister Garry Conille condemned the attack on X, formerly Twitter, stating, “This odious crime is not just an assault on victims but the entire Haitian nation.” He also assured that security forces were reinforcing the area. Reuters also reported that the local police director had been replaced following the attack.
According to Bertide Horace, a spokesperson from the Dialogue and Reconciliation Commission, the gang met no resistance, as police officers remained in their station, likely fearing they would be outgunned. Many victims, including two of Horace’s family members, were shot execution-style as the gang went house to house, killing indiscriminately and burning homes and vehicles.
A gang attack killed at least 70 people, including three infants, in an agricultural region of central Haiti where violence has surged.https://t.co/CPT24JiRjl pic.twitter.com/Whypq3qObm
— Dudly Mohr (@dudly_mohr) October 5, 2024
Rights groups warned the death toll could rise significantly, with reports of entire families being wiped out. Corpses littered the streets, as families were unable to recover their loved ones, Reuters said.
The Gran Grif gang, accused of mass kidnappings, rapes, and extortion, has terrorized the region for months. Elan, recently sanctioned by the U.N., blamed the massacre on locals for supporting vigilantes who fought back against the gang’s extortion on the town’s main highway.
Haiti’s Violence Crisis: International Response Fails Amid Gang Rampage https://t.co/QoQnEL1bfg pic.twitter.com/WLkzaYimbW
— TheFinancialAnalyst (@AoFAFinance) October 5, 2024
Meanwhile, gang control continues to spread beyond Port-au-Prince, fueling food insecurity and displacing over 700,000 Haitians. Despite promises of international aid, only 400 officers from a U.N.-backed mission have arrived, far short of what was pledged, Reuters reported. The U.N. has repeatedly called for more support, warning that Haiti remains in a dire humanitarian crisis.
