A violent clash between a powerful gang and a vigilante group in Petite-Rivière de l'Artibonite, Haiti, resulted in bloodshed and destruction. The Gran Grif gang, designated as a foreign terrorist organization, is responsible for the recent violence, causing widespread fear and displacement.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Violence erupted in the central Haiti an town of Petite-Rivière de l'Artibonite early Sunday morning as a powerful gang warred with a vigilante group, regional officials confirmed to The Associated Press.
The rampage from the gang Gran Grif left bloodied bodies scattered across the streets of the neighborhood of Jean-Denis, videos show. Gangs set fire to houses and left civilians reeling. It wasn't immediately clear how many people were slain by the gang. The massacre is just the latest bloodshed in a nation that has been left reeling by spiraling gang warfare for five years following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.Around 2023, vigilante groups began to emerge in the Caribbean nation to strike back against gangs sucking the life from Haiti. The wave of brutal vigilante justice has made the conflict in Haiti even more complicated at the same time as international forces have sought to pacify the country. Vigilante groups often close off neighborhoods, stone and chop off the limbs of suspected gangster, behead them and set them afire, sometimes while they are still alive. Meanwhile, the Gran Grif gang has continues to sow terror in the Artibonite region of Haiti, where Petite-Rivière de l'Artibonite is located. The Gran Grif gang was among a number of Haitian gangs to be designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration last year. According to the U.N., it's the largest gang in the region, responsible for 80% of civilian deaths there. It has massacred and raped civilians, including a minor, forced thousands of people to flee their homes and dismembered people, the organization said.'I want to practice my civil rights' and other reasons San Diegans marched in 'No Kings' protests KPBS keeps you informed with local stories you need to know about — with no paywall. Our news is free for everyone because people like you help fund it.
Haiti Gang Violence Vigilantes Gran Grif Political Instability
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
In Syria, an argument between two men in a Christian town erupts into sectarian violenceSectarian violence has hit a Christian town in central Syria after an argument triggers a wider attack.
Read more »
Dorchester community honors Haitian man who died in ICE custodyThe family of Emmanual Cleeford Damas say an untreated toothache while in an immigration detention facility in Arizona quickly spiraled to serious medical conditions.
Read more »
Standoff Erupts Outside Federal Detention Center After 'No Kings' DemonstrationsClashes between police and protesters outside the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles lead to arrests and injuries following hours of peaceful demonstrations.
Read more »
Gang vioilence erupts in town in central HaitiViolence has erupted in the central Haitian town of Petite-Rivière de l’Artibonite as a powerful gang warred with a vigilante group local, regional officials confirmed to the Associated Press.
Read more »
Central Haitian town descends into fire and bloodshed from gang warfareViolence has erupted in the central Haitian town of Petite-Rivière de l’Artibonite as a powerful gang warred with a vigilante group local, regional officials confirmed to the Associated Press.
Read more »
Central Haitian town descends into fire and bloodshed from gang warfareViolence erupted in the central Haitian town of Petite-Rivière de l'Artibonite early Sunday morning as a powerful gang warred with a vigilante group.
Read more »