An armed commando of hitmen belonging to the Gran Grif criminal gang has murdered at least 70 people while passing through the Haitian town of Pont Sond, in the department of Artibonito, in the center of the country. The incursions began on Thursday, as reported by the United Nations, in a new wave of unchecked violence by criminal groups that dominate part of the territory and sow terror in the population. “We are horrified by the gang attacks,” warned the spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, Thameen Al-Kheetan.
“Members of the Gran Grif gang used automatic rifles to shoot at the population, killing at least 70 people, including about 10 women and three babies. “At least 16 people were seriously injured, including two gang members hit during a shooting confrontation with Haitian police,” the official said in a statement. During the attack, which caused residents to flee, the criminals set fire to at least 45 houses and 34 vehicles, according to the information collected so far. The United Nations has requested “increased international financial and logistical assistance” for the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti, a mechanism approved by the Security Council. “It is crucial that authorities conduct a swift and thorough investigation into this attack, hold those responsible accountable, and ensure reparations for the victims and their families,” the note concludes.
Organized crime has been putting Haitian authorities on the ropes for years. The fragility of the institutions led to a collapse of the State after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021. Since last April, the so-called Transitional Presidential Council has been the body in charge of leading the country towards elections. However, the fight against violence and chaos has been, for years, a necessary condition to be able to promote any democratic process. Public enemy number one in Haiti is called Jimmy Chérizier, alias BBQ, a former police officer who leads an organization of criminal groups in Port-au-Prince.
This attack is unprecedented and occurs a few days after the sanctions announced by the United States and the UN against the leader of the Great Grif, known as Luckson Elan, and despite the presence in the country since June of some 400 troops of the aforementioned multinational security mission, led by Kenya. According to the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), at least 1,379 people were victims of violence by armed gangs in Haiti, including deaths and injuries, during the second quarter of 2024, raising the number of victims to almost 3,900 in the first quarter. semester of the year. In 2023, violence caused 8,000 deaths and injuries, according to UN figures.
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