Gang Violence Leaves Dozens Dead in Haiti
Gang members on the streets of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. X/ @NoticiasRNN
February 2, 2025 Hour: 9:19 am
Carrefour-based gangs attacked several areas in Kenscoff, a territory they seek to take over.
On Saturday, the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH) informed that criminal gangs attacked the commune of Kenscoff in Port-au-Prince, leaving at least 50 people dead and over 100 houses burned down.
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This massacre took place on January 29, clarified Marie Rosy Auguste Ducena, a lawyer responsible for RNDDH programs. The full picture of what happened is still not complete, as human rights defenders are still gathering data.
So far, it is known that at least twenty civilians were killed during the attack on Kenscoff. Meanwhile, police spokesperson Michel-Ange Louis-Jeune reported the deaths of about twenty members of the armed gangs.
The gangs came from the commune of Carrefour and attacked several areas in Kenscoff, including Bellot, Goder, and Le Montcel, which border the commune of Petion-Ville, a territory they seek to take over.
Some people were murdered in their homes. Others were killed while working in the fields of this suburban commune. Some families lost up to 12 members. The gangs also set fire to dozens of homes, as confirmed by the EFE news agency.
On January 30, Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime made it clear that the entire government and the police were aware of what was going to happen in Kenscoff.
“We were aware of what was going to happen in Kenscoff. The intelligence services of the Haitian National Police (PNH), the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of the Interior, and the Ministry of Justice informed us that there was going to be a problem,” he stated.
He took the opportunity to pay tribute to the victims and noted that he had assigned the new Minister of Health to deliver medicine and aid to the injured and hospitalized. Fils-Aime also emphasized that he had given instructions to the Ministry of the Interior to send assistance to those displaced from the area.
Fils-Aime held a meeting with the ministers of Justice, Public Security, Interior, and Territorial Communities at the headquarters of the National Police. Later, the government announced that security operations would be intensified, ensuring greater coordination between the Police and the Armed Forces.
teleSUR/ JF Sources: EFE – Listin Diario
