Initially, local media reported numerous deaths in the incident in Pont-Sondé. The UN human rights office in Geneva said gang members fired with automatic rifles. 16 other people were seriously injured and 45 houses and 34 vehicles were set on fire.
It was a brutal attack on defenseless people, explained the Prime Minister of the Caribbean country, Garry Conille, on X. Bandits from the Gran Grif gang surprised the residents on Thursday night at 3 a.m. (local time), the government said . The people were attacked with “indescribable brutality”.
The renewed act of violence against innocent civilians is unacceptable and requires an urgent, rigorous and coordinated response from the state, the statement said. The deployment of security forces in the region north of the capital Port-au-Prince is being increased.
Area affected by violence for years
Haiti is the poorest country on the American continent. The Caribbean state has suffered for years from violence by armed gangs, which largely have Port-au-Prince under their control. The violence is also spreading to other regions. Last year, the UN office in Haiti expressed concern about the brutality of the Gran Grif (large claw) against the population in the Artibonite Valley, where the attacked community is located.
The UN Office for Human Rights called for more international support for the multinational security mission in Haiti and called for a rapid and thorough investigation into the attack. There was initially no information from official authorities about the background to the attack.
The protection force, led by Kenya, is currently trying to restore public order in Haiti. The security mission with a planned 3,000 forces was approved by the UN Security Council last October. The first Kenyan police officers only arrived in Haiti in June – so far there are only a few hundred officers.
