Fresh gang attacks in Haiti's Artibonite region leave more deaths, destruction

The rural Haiti town of Pont-Sondé, where at least 70 people were killed in a brutal gang massacre a year ago, is once again under assault.

Fresh attacks by armed members of the Gran Grif gang that escalated over the weekend have left at least 10 people dead, dozens injured and hundreds of homes burned or destroyed in Haiti’s Artibonite region, according to local authorities.

“This is a situation that is extremely worrisome, and we are hoping an operation can quickly take place to dislodge the bandits who are here or to destroy their fiefdom so that people can go back to their homes,” said Bertide Horace, a community leader in the central Haiti region.

There is still no definitive tally, she said. “But there are many people who have family members missing,” Horace added. Among the dead is the mother of a well-known gang member, who died in one of the houses that were set ablaze by her son’s fellow gunmen.

Panic in the rural region, considered Haiti’s breadbasket, began on Tuesday after threats from Gran Grif’s U.N. sanctioned leader, Luckson Elan, circulated on social networks. At least five people were reported killed that day during a violent clash. Two days later, homes in the rural town of Descode in Petite-Rivière-de-l’Artibonite were set ablaze. Then on Saturday, a full scale-assault unfolded just before 10 p.m. as heavy gunfire jolted residents from their sleep and sent them fleeing.

At least 98% of the residents in Pont-Sondé have fled, a report by the local authority said. Meanwhile, residents in neighboring communities have also left, while unknown numbers remain stranded in their homes.

“Today is Monday and since Saturday, they’ve been lodged in the area,” Horace said of the gang. “They are very aggressive and continue to put pressure for them to take control and install their base."

She said despite efforts by the Haitian police to push back the gunmen, they remain entrenched in the mountainous area known as Poterie near the town of Pont-Sondé, where they want to establish a base and install an extortion road toll. Residents also believe the gang, which targeted the Artibonite Valley Development Organization, a government agency that works with farmers, wants to enter Saint Marc, a major port city between Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien.

“Despite the authorities’ assertion that they have reinforced the police, this has shown that it doesn’t correspond to the reality,” she added. “Because the gangs are still present.”

The large-scale offensive is just the latest in the region, where Gran Grif and other allied gangs have been rapidly expanding in rural communities outside of Port-au-Prince where recent anti-gang operations have resulted in the deaths of several gang members. On Friday, the director general of the Haiti National Police, Vladimir Paraison, said police “have reclaimed downtown Port-au-Prince.”

During the press conference to mark his 100 days in the post, Paraison also said that police presence had been increased in the Artibonite region. At the time, he said, activities had resumed in the towns of Désarmes, L’Estère and Pont-Sondé. “The Artibonite is not 100% pacified, but we are working on it,” he said.

This is the second time in just over a year that a surprise attack in the rural farming community has left scores dead and livelihoods in tatters. On Oct. 3, 2024, a large-scale attack in Pont-Sondé by the same gang resulted in one of the worst massacres carried out by criminal groups in Haiti.

At least 70 people were killed and dozens of others unaccounted for during the killing spree.

The incident prompted the Trump administration in May to designate the gang as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, along with Viv Ansanm, the powerful gang coalition in Port-au-Prince. Despite the designations, the gangs have continued to carry out violent killing sprees, as well as rapes and kidnappings.

More than 1.4 million Haitians have been internally displaced by the country’s terrorists gangs, and over 4,000 have died this year in gang-related violence.

Local authorities in the Artibonite region said in their report that the latest attack was “characterized by acts of extreme violence” and caused a massive displacement of the population. It has also led to a rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the area at a time when the population is still struggling to recover from the psychological distress and economic loss of the first offensive, the report noted.

Displaced families are currently gathered in several makeshift shelters, including living in a public square in the city of St. Marc after taking the National Road #1 on foot. Others are in overcrowded shelters in the communities of Desdunes and Grande Saline, where they lack drinking water, adequate hygiene and sanitation. They are also facing severe hunger as well as psychosocial distress. Adding to their hardship, heavy rains on Sunday in a saturated Saint-Marc further worsen living conditions for those already forced onto the streets.

“Saint-Marc can’t take anyone anymore. It is saturated,” Horace said, pleading for help.

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