Massacre of civilians in Haiti: gangs kill and burn to regain control of Cabaret

Police secure an area to facilitate the passage of fuel trucks, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, November 8, 2022. AP - Odelyn Joseph

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Members of an armed gang killed twelve people and burned down several houses on Tuesday (November 29th) in Cabaret, a town north of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

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The attack looks like an act of revenge: after being driven out of Cabaret a few days ago by the police and residents, members of an armed gang made a bloody return to this locality on Tuesday night November 29 to Wednesday 30. And according to the acting mayor, they acted with “

”: twelve civilians were murdered.

The next day, the terrified population discovers some charred corpses.

Houses were burnt down. 

Strategic crossroads

If Cabaret and neighboring towns are the target of attacks by armed gangs, it is because these localities are located around a strategic crossroads.

It connects the capital to the northern departments of Haiti.

For weeks, criminals have been hampering the free movement of people and goods, but also the operation of one of the country's major ports and important businesses in the area.

“

, ”says the mayor of Cabaret, Mayor Joseph Jeanson Guillaume.

On November 11, bandits set fire to a police tank in the suburbs of Port-au-Prince during an armed clash.

Request for " 

international assistance 

"

According to the UN, the Haitian police force amounted to 13,000 active police officers in September, a ratio of about one police officer for 1,000 inhabitants.

In early October, the Haitian government requested " 

" to resolve the security crisis.

But this call has not yet been followed up. 

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