No fewer than 110 elderly residents in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, have been brutally killed in a gang-led massacre, according to the National Human Rights Defence Network (RNDDH).
The violence, cantered in the Wharf Jérémie area of Cité Soleil, was reportedly orchestrated by gang leader Monel Felix, also known as Mikano, following the death of his son from an illness.
EDITOR’S PICKS
Mikano allegedly consulted a voodoo priest, who blamed elderly locals practicing “witchcraft” for the boy’s condition. In response, gang members rounded up dozens of elderly residents, brutally killing them with knives, machetes, and gunfire. Many victims were mutilated and their bodies burned in the streets.
While RNDDH stated all victims were over 60, some reports indicate younger individuals who attempted to protect the elderly were also killed.
The United Nations reported that 184 people were killed in Cité Soleil over the weekend, marking one of the deadliest incidents this year in Haiti’s escalating gang violence. RNDDH said 60 were killed on Friday, with another 50 murdered the following day.
The killings reflect the growing reach and brutality of gang networks like Viv Ansanm, which Mikano’s group is affiliated with.
Haiti has been mired in a wave of gang violence since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Gangs now control approximately 85% of Port-au-Prince and significant portions of rural areas, leading to widespread displacement.
Over 700,000 Haitians, half of them children, are internally displaced, according to the International Organization for Migration.
Gangs frequently use sexual violence, including gang rape, as a tool of terror. Human Rights Watch recently reported that criminal groups operate with impunity, committing egregious crimes against women and girls.
Efforts to restore order, including the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support Mission, have so far been ineffective due to underfunding and a lack of resources.
The Transitional Presidential Council (TPC), tasked with organizing elections and rebuilding democratic governance, remains in disarray, with little progress toward stabilizing the country.
The weekend massacre in Cité Soleil underscores the deepening humanitarian and security crisis in Haiti, where gang violence continues to target vulnerable populations with devastating consequences.
Russia launched over 40 missiles and 70 drones against Ukraine on January 15. Critical energy…
Iranian President Pezeshkian warns Trump against risking war with Iran. Pezeshkian insists Iran does not…
Timileyin Ajayi confessed to killing NYSC member Salome Adaidu, citing alleged infidelity. Victim's Sister, Esther…