The attack took place in the early hours of Thursday, October 3, in Pont-Sonde, located in the agricultural region of Artibonite, western Haiti. Many more people were critically injured.
Luckson Elan, leader of the Gran Grif gang, claimed responsibility for the massacre, stating it was in retaliation for civilians standing by while police and vigilante groups killed members of his gang.
A video shared online shows pedestrians and motorbike riders desperately fleeing the scene, trying to escape the violence.
According to the U.N. migration agency, around 6,270 people fled their homes due to the attack, with many seeking shelter in nearby towns like Saint-Marc, while others stayed in makeshift camps.
Local authorities reported that gang members set fire to numerous homes and vehicles. Prime Minister Garry Conille condemned the massacre on social media, calling it “an odious crime” against defenseless women, men, and children, and an attack on the entire Haitian nation. He also noted that security forces were reinforcing the area.
The spokesperson for Haiti’s national police confirmed that the director of police for the Artibonite region had been replaced. Reinforcements had been sent to the area to regain control. However, Bertide Horace, spokesperson for the Dialogue and Reconciliation Commission to Save the Artibonite Valley, said the gang met no resistance, as police officers stayed in their station, possibly fearing they would be outgunned by the gang members.
Many victims were shot in the head as the gang went house to house, leaving families devastated. “They shot anyone in sight. People were running everywhere while homes, cars, and even victims were set on fire,” Horace said.
Human rights organization RNDDH suggested that the death toll may be even higher, as entire families were wiped out. “At the time of writing, bodies still lie scattered on the ground, as loved ones have not yet been able to recover them,” the organization reported.
Watch the clip vis this link: https://www.instagram.com/skynews/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=d707fcba-68d9-4772-b6b1-00b55f83137f
