Haiti: ten people killed in Pétion-Ville, the wave of violence continues in the country

A police officer during an anti-gang operation in Port-au-Prince, March 3, 2023. © RALPH TEDY EROL / REUTERS

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

On Monday 20 March, at least 10 people were killed and their bodies set on fire in the commune of Pétion-Ville, on the eastern outskirts of the capital, Port-au-Prince. For several weeks, armed gangs have been waging an offensive against the population of several neighborhoods. And every day, the inhabitants live a little more fear in their stomachs.

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With our correspondent in Port-au-Prince, Marie André Bélange

Until Tuesday morning, heavy gunfire echoed in the east of the capital, where at least ten people were killed the day before. Acts committed in retaliation for the execution of three members of the gang led by Vitel'homme Innocent.

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On Monday morning, people went to take their children to school very early. That's when in Tunnel [a district of Pétion-Ville, editor's note], people burned passengers and the driver of a van that was traveling, "says Dominique St Roc, the former mayor of Pétion-Ville.

In addition, cases of kidnapping continue to be recorded in the Haitian capital. Several people were abducted on Monday, including a lawyer in downtown Port-au-Prince. Faced with this outburst of violence for several weeks, the population of the targeted neighborhoods are fleeing their homes by abandoning all their belongings. Activities are slow, the streets deserted and the police, often absent, are powerless. The political authorities, for their part, did not react, as usual.

Hundreds dead since January

At the same time, the UN recalls on Tuesday that 531 people have been killed and 277 have been kidnapped since January in the country. According to the UN, gangs also use sexual violence as a weapon to terrorize, subjugate and punish the population, as well as to extort ransoms from victims' families. "We are gravely concerned that extreme violence continues to spiral out of control in Haiti. Clashes between gangs are becoming more violent and frequent as they try to extend their territorial control in the capital and other areas," said Marta Hurtado, spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

(

And with AFP)

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