Armed gangs

Rich neighborhoods in Haiti attacked – 14 dead!

A man lifts a sheet in Petion-Ville to identify a victim underneath.(Bild: Associated Press., Krone KREATIV)

On Monday, 14 bodies were found in a wealthy suburb of Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince. Residents said that the neighborhoods of Laboule and Thomassin in the suburb of Petion-Ville had been attacked by armed criminals since dawn. Eyewitnesses reported that gang members attacked a bank, a gas station and houses in the area.

Shots could still be heard in Petion-Ville in the afternoon. "They came with balaclavas in their cars, on motorcycles, with their own ambulance and massacred the population of Petion-Ville," said local resident Vincent Jean Robert. A judge narrowly escaped an attack on his house, said a relative of the judge.

"I was on my motorcycle when they arrived and started shooting," a motorcycle taxi driver named Cadet told the AFP news agency. "We don't know if bandits or the police are behind it."

Gangs have 80 percent of the capital under their control
Haiti is suffering from a massive wave of gang violence and the humanitarian situation in the Caribbean state has deteriorated rapidly in recent weeks. Criminal gangs now control large parts of the country and around 80 percent of the capital. They are accused of numerous crimes such as murder, rape and ransom extortion. According to UN figures, around 362,000 Haitians are displaced within the country, more than half of them children. Almost half of Haiti's approximately eleven million inhabitants are suffering from acute hunger.

The situation in the country worsened at the end of February during a trip abroad by head of government Ariel Henry. Armed gang members attacked police stations and freed thousands of prisoners from prisons. They demanded the resignation of Henry, who has been in power since 2021 and should have stepped down as prime minister at the beginning of February. A few days ago, Henry finally announced his resignation.