Haitian gang kills at least 70 people, including 3 infants, UN says
World
Haitian gang kills at least 70 people, including 3 infants, UN says
PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Armed men belonging to the Gran Grif gang killed at least 70 people, including three infants, as they swept through a Haitian town shooting automatic rifles at residents, a spokesperson for the United Nations' Human Rights Office said on Friday.
"We are horrified by Thursday's gang attacks in the town of Pont-Sonde in Haiti's Artibonite department," spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said in a statement.
At least another 16 people were seriously injured in the attack in the early hours of Thursday, including two gang members hit during an exchange of fire with Haitian police, according to the UN The gang members reportedly set fire to at least 45 houses and 34 vehicles, forcing residents to flee their homes.
"This odious crime against defenseless women, men and children is not only an attack against victims but against the entire Haitian nation," Prime Minister Garry Conille said on X.
"Security forces, backed by our international partners, are reinforcing their intervention."
In an audio message shared on social media on Thursday, Gran Grif leader Luckson Elan, who was sanctioned by the UN last month, blamed the state and victims for the attacks, accusing residents of remaining passive while his soldiers were killed by police or vigilante groups.
"It's Pont-Sonde residents who are at fault. What happened in Pont-Sonde is the fault of the state," he said.
Local media reported on Thursday that thousands of residents from Pont-Sonde were making their way toward the coastal town of Saint-Marc.
Pont-Sonde is a major rice producer located in Haiti's breadbasket Artibonite region at an important crossing connecting the capital Port-au-Prince to the north.
