A powerful gang leader controlling a key port in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, is accused of orchestrating a massacre of older people and Vodou religious leaders in his community. The government and human rights organizations estimate that over 100 individuals were killed in the violent incident.
Reports on the exact number of casualties in Port-au-Prince vary significantly due to the prevalence of such killings in gang-controlled and largely inaccessible areas within the country.
The Haitian government confirmed the massacre, stating that over 100 people lost their lives in the Cité Soleil neighborhood. The government has pledged to hold those responsible for the 'unspeakable carnage' accountable.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that at least 184 individuals were killed by the gang leader, although the source of this information remains unclear.
Local rights groups, including the Cooperative for Peace and Development and the National Human Rights Defense Network, also provided estimates of the death toll, with figures ranging from 110 to over 100 victims.
The gang leader, known as Micanor Altès or Monel Felix, is accused of carrying out the massacre in retaliation for the death of his son. Allegedly, he believed that older people and Vodou practitioners in the community were responsible for his son's illness and subsequent demise.
The violent incident has raised concerns about the level of control that gangs exert over the population in Haiti, a country grappling with widespread gang violence.
The accused gang leader, who has a history of criminal activities such as robbery and extortion, has not responded to requests for comment. The National Police of Haiti has also refrained from providing a statement on the matter.
The massacre is said to have been triggered by the gang leader's belief that certain community members had cast a harmful spell on his son, leading to a brutal punishment of elderly individuals and Vodou practitioners in the neighborhood.
This tragic event underscores the ongoing challenges faced by Haiti, where criminal groups continue to perpetrate large-scale violence, leaving many citizens living in fear for their safety and struggling to access basic necessities.
With over 4,500 reported deaths in Haiti this year alone, calls for international intervention, including a U.N. peacekeeping mission, have intensified to address the escalating crisis in the country.
