At least 70 people, including three infants, were killed in a devastating gang attack in the Haitian town of Pont-Sonde, the United Nations confirmed on Friday. Armed members of the Gran Grif gang, wielding automatic rifles, stormed the town early Thursday, leaving widespread destruction. The assault, in the Artibonite department—a key agricultural region—also forced over 3,000 residents to flee their homes.
The U.N. Human Rights Office condemned the massacre, calling it an assault on the entire Haitian nation. Thameen Al-Kheetan, a spokesperson for the office, expressed horror at the scale of the violence. Along with the 70 fatalities, 16 people were seriously injured, including two gang members wounded during a gunfight with Haitian police. The attackers set fire to 45 homes and 34 vehicles, further compounding the destruction.
Haiti’s Prime Minister, Garry Conille, condemned the attack, calling it “an odious crime against defenseless women, men, and children.” Conille vowed that security forces, with international support, would intensify efforts to curb the escalating violence, which has left parts of Haiti under the control of gangs.
The Gran Grif gang, led by Luckson Elan, who was sanctioned by the United Nations last month for human rights abuses, is one of the most powerful gangs in the Artibonite region. Elan, in an audio message released after the attack, attempted to deflect blame onto both the state and local residents, despite his gang’s well-documented involvement in killings, kidnappings, and the displacement of farmers.
This latest attack highlights the broader surge of gang violence that has engulfed Haiti. Armed groups now control large portions of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and have expanded into rural regions, displacing over 700,000 people—nearly double the figure from six months ago. The violence has also exacerbated the country’s worsening hunger crisis, as access to food becomes increasingly limited.
The United Nations has called for additional international support to bolster a recently deployed multinational security mission in Haiti. Despite this mission, the Haitian government continues to struggle to contain the growing insecurity. Calls for expanded financial and logistical assistance have grown louder as gangs consolidate their control over key regions and escalate attacks on civilian populations.
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