Death toll in latest gang attack in Haiti rises to 115: Official

The death toll from a recent gang attack in Haiti has risen to at least 115, a local official told The Associated Press (AP) this week.

The attack on residents of Pont-Sondé on October 3 is considered one of the largest massacres Haiti has seen in recent years.

On Wednesday, Myriam Fièvre, mayor of the nearby town of Saint-Marc, said the death toll had risen to 115 and was expected to rise further as authorities continued to search for bodies and remained unable to reach certain areas of the city.

“We are working to ensure that the population is protected,” Fièvre said in a telephone interview with the AP.

The United Nations had previously reported that at least 70 people were killed last week when the Gran Grif gang stormed the town in Haiti’s central Artibonite region.

According to a local human rights group, victims, ranging from babies to young mothers to the elderly, were surprised when gang members arrived in Pont-Sondé by canoe.

Survivors question why authorities did not intervene, pointing out that before the attack, the gang had openly announced their plans to target Pont-Sondé in a video posted on social media.

The day after the attack, authorities replaced the police commissioner who oversees the Artibonite region, which has seen a rise in gang violence in recent years. According to the United Nations, at least 20 criminal groups are currently operating in the region.

Over 6,200 survivors have fled Pont-Sondé and sought temporary refuge in the coastal town of Saint-Marc and surrounding areas. Most of the displaced people are staying with relatives, but more than 750 have nowhere to go and are sleeping on the floor of a church, a school and a public square in Saint-Marc, according to the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration.

As Saint-Marc struggles with the sudden influx of displaced residents, Fièvre warned that the Gran Grif gang is now moving into surrounding communities following its attack on Pont-Sondé.

Haiti’s National Human Rights Defense Network reported that the gang attacked Pont-Sondé in retaliation against a local self-defense group that was trying to curb the gang’s activities and block the gang’s efforts to benefit from a newly implemented road toll in the area.

Gran Grif, a gang with around 100 members, is accused of murder, rape, robbery and kidnapping. According to the United Nations, the group was founded nearly a decade ago when former lawmaker Prophane Victor began arming young men to secure his election and consolidate control of the region.

Last month, the US imposed sanctions on former MP Victor and Gran Grif leader Luckson Elan. Elan was also sanctioned by the UN Security Council, which described Gran Grif as the “largest and most powerful” gang in the Artibonite region. The group was allegedly responsible for nine mass kidnappings between October 2023 and January 2024, including the abduction of 157 people.

This article contains reporting from The Associated Press.