Massacre in Haiti: At least 47 killed and 22 wounded in gang attack
According to a CBC report, gunmen raided Kenscoff, setting houses on fire and killing residents, forcing thousands to flee. UN data indicates that more than 3,100 people have been killed in the country due to gang violence between January and June.
At least 47 people were killed and 22 others wounded in a night raid by gangs on a neighborhood overlooking the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, it was reported on Monday, citing a CBC report.
According to the mayor of Kenscoff, Jean Massillon, gunmen raided the community late Sunday night, setting houses on fire and killing residents. The mountain community, which overlooks access roads to the capital, has suffered from approximately 12 attacks by armed gangs since last year, forcing thousands to flee their homes.
Locals state that powerful gangs, operating within a broad alliance, have consolidated control over the capital for years and expanded into nearby areas, despite international efforts to reinforce the local police, which suffers from a severe lack of resources and manpower.
Following the massacre, residents demanded the resignation of the local police chief. The Haitian government condemned the "heinous attack," declared that "Kenscoff will not be abandoned," and promised to reinforce security, as police failed to protect those killed just minutes away from the police station.
"They sowed chaos - they killed my son!"
According to the CBC report, wails of mourning filled the air in Kenscoff as survivors discovered the bodies of friends and family members in the streets early Monday morning. "They killed my son!" one woman shouted repeatedly as people around her tried to comfort her.
One resident said he heard gunshots before dawn and tried to wake people so they could escape. He searched in panic for his brother, who was killed. Another resident blamed the government for the deaths: "If we had a good police force that had stationed an armored vehicle here, what happened could have been prevented." A local farmer told the AP news agency that he lost 14 of his loved ones, and an unknown number of people remain missing.
Survivors of the massacre blamed the attack on members of the Viv Ansanm organization, which the US administration designated as a foreign terrorist organization last year. According to them, the gang members targeted the church and homes.
Over 3,100 killed in six months
Gang violence has led to the displacement of a record 1.5 million people across Haiti. UN data shows that more than 3,100 people were killed in the country between January and June, with 1,189 others wounded.
The attack occurred less than a week after the US government deported more than 160 people to the country. This was the first such deportation since the Trump administration won a legal battle to end temporary protected status for approximately 350,000 Haitian citizens.
The Haitian government stated that the deportees included individuals with temporary protected status who worked legally in the United States, as well as some who were of Haitian descent but not born there. The US Department of Homeland Security told the AP on Monday that those deported on Friday included gang members with criminal records ranging from assault to drug trafficking.
Haiti is scheduled to hold general elections on December 13 for the first time in over a decade. Experts have warned that it is currently too dangerous to hold elections.
