Haitian gang kills at least 70 people as thousands flee, UN says

Source: Reuters

Haitian gang kills at least 70 people as thousands flee, UN says

Harold Isaac and Sarah Morland
Updated Fri, October 4, 2024 at 2:33 PM EDT·5 min read

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) -Armed men belonging to the Gran Grif gang killed at least 70 people, including three infants, and forced at least 3,000 to flee as they swept through a Haitian town shooting automatic rifles at residents, the U.N. said on Friday.

"We are horrified by Thursday's gang attacks in the town of Pont-Sonde in Haiti's Artibonite department," U.N. 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 U.N. The gang members reportedly set fire to at least 45 houses and 34 vehicles, forcing residents to flee their homes.

The killings are the latest sign of a worsening conflict in the Caribbean nation, where armed gangs control most of the capital Port-au-Prince and are expanding to nearby regions, fuelling hunger and making hundreds of thousands homeless, while nearby countries continue to deport migrants back to the country.

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