A massacre in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, over the weekend left at least 110 people dead, according to human rights groups, with the United Nations reporting a death toll as high as 184. The killings occurred in the Cité Soleil neighborhood, one of the city’s poorest and most dangerous areas, and were allegedly ordered by gang leader Jean Monel Felix, known as Micanor.
His gang reportedly carried out the massacre using machetes and knives, killing at least 60 people on Friday, Dec. 6 and 50 more on Saturday, Dec. 7, according to local reports,Felix, who is the leader of the Wharf Jeremie gang, has been accused of carrying out other violent acts… pic.twitter.com/rsL5Nh0tXt
— CGTN America (@cgtnamerica) December 9, 2024
The violence began after Felix’s son fell ill and later died. Reports indicate that Felix consulted a Vodou priest, who blamed the boy’s death on witchcraft practiced by elderly residents and Vodou leaders in the community. In response, Felix’s gang rounded up victims from their homes, executing them with knives, machetes, and guns.
Human rights organizations reported mutilated bodies being burned in the streets, while some were reportedly thrown into the sea.
According to the National Human Rights Defense Network, at least 60 people were killed on Friday and another 50 on Saturday. The United Nations confirmed that most victims were over the age of 60. Some younger individuals who attempted to intervene were also killed.
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk condemned the massacre, calling it “unbearable cruelty” and adding that Haiti’s death toll this year has reached 5,000 due to ongoing gang violence.
Felix’s gang controls the Wharf Jérémie area, a critical port zone, and is part of the Viv Ansanm alliance, a coalition of gangs led by Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier. The alliance has carried out violent offensives across Haiti, forcing thousands to flee their homes.
According to the International Organization for Migration, over 700,000 Haitians are now internally displaced, half of whom are children.
