March 31, LNW (Colombo): At least 70 people have been killed and 30 others injured following a deadly gang attack in the Artibonite region of Haiti, according to a human rights organization, significantly exceeding earlier official estimates.
Initial police reports placed the death toll at 16 with 10 injured, while civil protection authorities later reported 17 fatalities and 19 wounded. However, the Collective Defending Human Rights described the incident as a “massacre,” stating that the violence forced nearly 6,000 residents to flee their homes.
The group criticized authorities for failing to respond adequately, accusing them of effectively abandoning the Artibonite region to armed gangs.
A spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General strongly condemned the attack, emphasizing the worsening security crisis in the country and calling for a full investigation.
Local officials said armed members of the Gran Grif gang launched the हमला around 3 a.m. on Sunday in the Jean-Denis area. The нападение follows recent UN reports that over 2,000 people were displaced by similar attacks in nearby Verrettes, prompting further displacement in Petite-Rivière.
The Artibonite department, a vital agricultural hub, has increasingly become a hotspot for violence as gang activity spreads beyond the capital, Port-au-Prince.
In March, the United States announced a reward of up to $3 million for information on the financial networks of the Gran Grif and Viv Ansanm groups, both of which have been designated as terrorist organizations.
Despite intensified operations by Haitian security forces—supported by a UN-backed mission and a US private military contractor—no major gang leaders have been apprehended.
Gang-related violence has displaced more than one million people across Haiti, worsening food insecurity. Since 2021, nearly 20,000 people have been killed, with the death toll continuing to rise each year.