Executed with machetes More than 200 dead in gang massacre in Haiti

More than 200 people have been killed in a massacre by a gang in Haiti. The trigger is said to be the death of the gang leader's son due to illness.

DPA

23.12.2024, 21:06

dpa

According to the United Nations, around twice as many people were killed in a massacre by a gang in Haiti than estimated by human rights groups. The UN Integrated Office in Haiti announced on Monday that more than 207 people were murdered by the Wharf-Jeremie gang between December 6 and 11.

The gang is said to have abducted victims from their homes and a place of worship, interrogated them and then shot them or executed them with machetes. Dozens of elderly people and voodoo followers are said to be among the victims. Human rights groups in Haiti had previously estimated that more than 100 people were killed in the massacre.

Report: More than 100 dead in massacre in Haiti

"We cannot pretend that nothing has happened," said María Isabel Salvador, UN Secretary-General António Guterres' special envoy for Haiti. "I call on the Haitian justice system to thoroughly investigate these terrible crimes and to arrest and punish the perpetrators and those who support them."

According to the UN, the gang members tried to destroy evidence of their atrocities by burning bodies or dismembering them and throwing them into the sea.

Gang violence on the rise

According to human rights groups, the massacre occurred after the son of gang leader Micanor Altès died of an illness. The human rights group Cooperative for Peace and Development said that according to information from within the community, the gang leader accused residents of the affected neighborhood of being responsible for the illness.

Gang violence has increased in Haiti since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in an attempted coup in 2021. According to UN figures, more than 5,350 people have died in gang wars in the country this year.