Media Reports Say Gang-Violence Has Led to Another Mass killing in Haiti
PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti – Less than a week after gunmen killed more than 100 people in Pont-Sondé in the central Artibonite region north-west of the capital, Port-au-Prince, media reports say another gang has attacked another town, killing people and setting homes on fire.
Several radio stations have reported that the attack was launched by the gang in the area of Canaan known as the Taliban. The gang has around 200 members and operates mostly in the northern part of the Port-au-Prince capital.
Deputy police spokesman, Lionel Lazarre, told Radio Caraïbes that the authorities were taking several measures to strengthen their presence in the area..
“The police heard the people of Arcahaie shouting for help,” he added.
Residents in the coastal town of Arcahaie have been calling the radio stations pleading for help and asking that police come and save them.
Arcahaie is located between Haiti’s capital and Pont-Sondé, where the Gran Grif gang, described as one of the most violent of Haiti’s gangs, carried ot a massacre last Thursday, killing at least 115 people.
In January last year, members were accused of attacking a police station near Port-Sondé and killing six officers. It is also blamed for forcing the closure of a hospital serving more than 700,000 people.
Amnesty International Thursday expressed deep concern about gang-related violence against children.
“We have documented heartbreaking stories of children forced to work for armed gangs – from making deliveries to gathering information and performing domestic tasks under threat of violence,” said Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International.
“In addition, girls have been subjected to rape and sexual violence. The desperation of their situation is truly disturbing; many have been displaced or have nowhere to go.”
Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille arrived in Kenya on Thursday for a four-day official visit, during which he will meet with Kenyan President William Ruto and seek further support for the UN-authorized Multinational Security Support (MSS)Mission in Haiti.
Earlier this week, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, told the 57th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva of the distressing situation in Haiti.
”I am convinced that the security crisis, the rule of law crisis, and the governance crisis that Haitians are enduring can be resolved,” Turk said, noting that crucial to that effort must be full implementation of the United Nations Security Council’s arms embargo to prevent the supply of firearms and ammunition to non-state actors in Haiti.
He said he welcomed last week’s renewal by the Security Council of the MSS mission to Haiti, saying “it is also absolutely crucial to ensure that the MSS mission…is given adequate resources and support”.
