Friday, October 4, 2024, 10:21 p.m.
The attack by an armed gang on the Haitian town of Pont-Sandé spread panic among residents and killed at least 70 people, as confirmed yesterday by the spokesman for the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Thameen al Kheetan. . The Caribbean country has been immersed in the so-called ‘gang war’ for years, with numerous organizations fighting for control and carrying out acts of excessive violence.
The events occurred on Thursday morning. «We are horrified by the attack. “The members of the Gran Grif gang used automatic weapons to shoot at the population and killed at least 70 people, including three children,” the spokesperson said in a statement. Still according to the UN, there are also 16 injured – among them, two of the attackers, hit by bullets during a confrontation with security forces – and 45 homes and 34 vehicles were burned.
Impossible life
According to ‘The Haiti Times’, hundreds of families have fled their homes and taken refuge in nearby towns, as the gang maintains control of Pont-Sandé. It is the most violent of the numerous attacks recorded this year in the region, which, according to the Haitian newspaper, “make it impossible for residents to lead a normal life and disrupt their daily activities and livelihoods.” The Gran Grif gang is one of the most ruthless in its actions: according to the BBC, it has a hundred members and is accused of murders, rapes, robberies and kidnappings, in addition to having forced the closure of a hospital that treated more of 700,000 people. Last year, members of the group attacked a police station and killed six officers.
Thameen al Kheetan has called on the international community to increase logistical and financial contributions to the Multinational Security Support Mission for Haiti, led by Kenya and supported by the United Nations.
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