Gang members brandishing automatic rifles stormed through a town in Haiti’s central 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. More people were severely injured in the attack in the early hours of Thursday at Pont-Sonde, in the agricultural region of Artibonite in western Haiti. Human rights groups say the death toll may be even higher, with entire families wiped out as gangs went house to house.
The victims included ten women and three infants, the U.N. office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Friday. It added that gang members also set fire to 45 houses and 34 vehicles, causing more residents to leave. The office calls for “a prompt and thorough investigation” of the incident and for those responsible for being held accountable accountable and for guaranteed reparations for the victims.
The gang attack comes amid an alarming escalation of violent crime across the nation, which has led to mass displacement. An estimated 80% of Haiti’s capital city, Port-au-Prince, is under the control of armed gangs that coerce children as young as ten into their ranks. They use sexual violence, kidnapping, and roadblocks to intimidate civilians and rob them. They have forced millions into poverty and hundreds of thousands to suffer famine-level hunger, according to the U.N.’s World Food Programme.
Violence has wracked the countryside, too, with gangs demanding extortion fees from local businesses and using their monopoly on weapons to terrorize communities and extort farmers. The World Bank says this year will be the worst for food insecurity in decades, with the situation exacerbated by Hurricane Matthew, which wrecked crops and flooded villages last month.
One of the most powerful gangs, Gran Grif, has stepped up its operations. It has been blamed for attacks on police stations and for forcing the closure of a hospital that serves 700,000 people. Its leader, Luckson Elan, is subject to U.S. sanctions.
The gang has been operating in the rural area for years, taking advantage of an impoverished economy that has made it easy for them to recruit and intimidate people. The World Bank has also exploited a weak national security force and a lack of resources to investigate its crimes.
Recently, it has expanded its presence into areas around the capital, where it competes with a rival gang, the Black Eagles. Both gangs have been linked to drug trafficking and organized crime.
Haiti has been working to reform its police force, which controls crime and provides essential services in a deeply impoverished country. Since the end of 2015, the United States has trained more than 600 Haitian police officers. Its experts vet them by conducting background checks and polygraph tests and training them on patrol and investigative techniques.
The U.S. said on Thursday it does not plan to pay the newly trained police, but it is helping Haiti with administrative issues, such as how to pay all officers, an ongoing problem in the nation.
