The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) crime report says in less than three weeks, at least 94 residents were killed, more than 120 were injured by gunfire, and 12 others disappeared in less than three weeks of fighting between rival gangs in the north and west of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area.
The BINUH has released the report on the deadly wave of violence that broke out between April 24 and May 16 this year, involving two gang coalitions that fought each other to take control over specific areas of the communes of Cité Soleil, Croix-des-Bouquets, and Tabarre.
“In addition, at least 96 gang members were killed or wounded. Dozens of cases of sexual violence were also reported. Besides, nearly 16,000 people were forced to flee their homes to take refuge in makeshift sites or in the home of relatives.”
BINUH said the gangs armed with assault rifles, machetes, and gas cans, spared no one.
“Women and children as young as one year old were executed, and their bodies burned. Young teenagers accused of spying for the opposite side were shot in public spaces. Rape of women and girls, some of whom were less than ten years old, was used as a weapon to terrorize and take revenge on the local populations living in neighborhoods controlled by rival gangs,” BINUH said.
According to the report, the criminal groups responsible for these acts of violence, known as “Chen Mechan” and “400 Mawozo,” with the support of their respective allies, the “G9 in Family and Allies” and the “G-Pèp, showed their capacity to launch coordinated and simultaneous attacks in several neighborhoods of the capital.
The report also highlights that the coalitions between gangs are not new in Port-au-Prince as they had become a prominent issue during the administration of President Jovenel Moïse. Moïse was assassinated on July 7 last year, and several former Colombian army officers have been arrested in connection with his murder. However, Haitian authorities have not charged anyone with his death.
The BINUH said the recent outbreak of armed violence in Cité Soleil, Croix- des-Bouquets, and Tabarre shows that they persist and have even intensified with the probable implication of political and economic actors already involved back then.
The report contains a series of recommendations addressed to the police, the judiciary, and the authorities responsible for providing support to victims, particularly to victims of sexual violence.
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