Thousands flee gang killings in Haiti breadbasket town, media reports


  • World
  • Friday, 04 Oct 2024

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - At least 11 people were killed and dozens injured in an overnight attack in a Haitian town led by the Gran Grif gang, local newspaper Le Nouvelliste reported on Thursday, as powerful armed gangs expand their influence from the capital.

Thousands of residents left the town of Pont-Sonde, some 100 km (62 miles) north of the capital, to seek refuge in the coastal town of Saint-Marc, Le Nouvelliste said. Other media reported the death toll may be in the dozens.

Haiti's national police told Reuters that several people had been killed and severely wounded in the attack, without giving any numbers. They later said agents from their UTAG anti-gang tactical unit had been dispatched to the area.

"The police have been formally instructed to restore order and prevent all those sowing terror in the Artibonite department from causing harm," Haiti's Justice Ministry said in a statement. "These crimes will not go unpunished."

Men belonging to the gang led by 36-year-old Luckson Elan, who was sanctioned by the United Nations last month, burned buildings and executed people in the streets, Le Nouvelliste said.

A major rice producing town, Pont-Sonde is located in Haiti's breadbasket Artibonite department and built around a bridge at the crossroads of a road linking the capital with the northern region.

Artibonite has seen some of the worst violence outside the capital, compounding a worsening hunger crisis that has seen half the population suffer from severe food insecurity and thousands in capital Port-au-Prince face famine-level hunger.

The capital's main port has also shut due to gang attacks.

The number of people internally displaced by the conflict has meanwhile surged past 700,000, nearly doubling in six months despite the partial deployment of a U.N.-backed mission mandated to help under-resourced police restore order.

Neighboring Dominican Republic said on Wednesday it would step up migrant deportations to up to 10,000 per week, citing the slow and limited progress of the security mission, which Haiti's government first requested in 2022.

(Reporting by Harold Isaac and Sarah Morland; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
   

Next In World

YouTuber known for drag race videos crashes speeding BMW and dies
Racist text messages referencing slavery raise alarms in multiple states and prompt investigations
Who will staff Trump's government? A look at top contenders
How AI will boost Windows Notepad and Paint
Australia to introduce this month legislation to ban social media for children under 16, PM says
Pentagon chief says he has not changed position on Guantanamo Bay plea deals
US President-elect Trump names Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff
Trump's team keen to unite anti-dictatorship exiles, Nicaragua dissident says
Nigeria rights body to present findings on abortion allegations against military
2nd LD Writethru: U.S. Fed slashes interest rates by 25 basis points amid weakening labor market

Others Also Read