Saint-Marc, Haiti – Heavily armed gangs attacked the city The central region of Haiti During the weekend and They killed men, women and children while burning homes and forcing survivors to flee into the darkness.
Police made emergency calls for support, explaining this 50% of the Artibonite area had fallen under the control of armed gangs After the widespread attacks that He targeted cities such as Bercy and Pont-Sonde.
“The people cannot live, cannot work, cannot move.”one of Haiti’s police unions, SPNH-17, announced on Sunday in X. “The loss of the two largest departments in the country, Oeste and Artibonite, is serious.” “The biggest security failure in modern Haitian history.”
Most of Haiti’s police forces are Kenyan police officers lead a UN-backed mission To help fend off the gangs is the capital, Port-au-Prince, which is largely controlled by these same groups.
Jorby Simius, an official in Pont-Sonde, said he had confirmed this Nearly a dozen deaths, including a mother, her son and a local government employee.
“The gangs are still in Pont-Sonde” He noted that no more police arrived.
Many survivors They fled to the coastal city of Saint Mark’s, On Monday, hundreds of angry people demanded the government to take the necessary action Measures against gangs Who repeatedly attacked the central region of Haiti.
“Give me the weapons! “I’ll fight the gangs!” shouted René-Charles, who survived the attack. “We have to stand up and fight!”
The crowd tried to storm the mayor’s office, and an unknown man said so They no longer depend on the government: “Let’s take justice into our own hands!”
Political activist Charlesma Jean Marcos said that the gang announced last week that it would invade the region, and that… They reported to the authorities to no avail.
“Right now, the only people really fighting (against the gang) are the self-defense group.” He said. “No country can operate this way.”
Marcos urged all survivors sleeping on the streets and public parks to instead sleep inside police stations and government offices until the government can recover Artibonite.
“A lot of people will go hungry.” to caution. “We can support you today, we can support you tomorrow, but we won’t be able to support you forever.”
More than half of Haiti’s population is already in crisis A hunger crisis, with gangs blocking main roads and violence displacing a record 1.4 million people.
The attacks began in central Haiti late Friday and late Saturday Team members broadcast it live on social media.
The attacks were attributed to the gang great Greve, Which operates in the region and was responsible for an attack in Pont Sonde in October 2024 that killed at least 100 people, one of the worst massacres in modern Haitian history.
“I heard intense gunshots, many shots.”He remembers an unidentified man who criticized Lack of policeSaying that he was trapped inside his home throughout the weekend until Monday morning. “Why don’t they send drones to Artibonite? They only use drones in Port-au-Prince. I feel like this gang is special, like they don’t want to destroy it.”.
A spokesman for the Haitian National Police did not respond to a message seeking comment.
Gran Grif is considered one of the toughest gangs in Haiti. Its leader, Luxon Ilan, was recently sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council and the United States government. Sanctions were also imposed on Provan Victor, a former MP who was accused by the United Nations of arming young people in the Artibonite region.
The United Nations said so Homicides have increased significantly in Haiti’s Artibonite and Central departments this year. 1,303 casualties were reported from January to August, compared to 419 during the same period in 2024.
““These attacks underscore the ability of gangs to consolidate their control along a corridor from the center to Artibonite amid limited law enforcement presence and logistical constraints.”According to a recent United Nations report.
Fritz Alphonse Jean, a member of Haiti’s transitional presidential council, who was imposed by the United States last month and is seeking to oust the current prime minister, condemned the recent attacks.
He wrote in
AP Agency