At least 70 killed in ‘massacre,’ says rights group

At least 70 people were killed and 30 more injured in a brutal gang attack in Haiti‘s Artibonite region, a human rights organization said on Monday — figures far higher than earlier official reports had suggested.

Police had first announced 16 fatalities and 10 injuries, while civil protection officials later estimated 17 dead and 19 wounded.

However, the Collective Defending Human Rights group reported a significantly larger death toll, describing the incident as a “massacre” and adding that nearly 6,000 residents were forced to flee their homes as a result.

In a statement, the group criticized local authorities, saying the lack of security response and the failure to protect the Artibonite region showed a neglect of responsibility.

Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, a spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the attack, noting that reported death toll estimates varied widely, ranging from 10 to 80 victims.

“This attack underscores the gravity of the security situation faced by the Haitian population,” said the spokesman, calling for a full investigation.

What do we know about the attack?

Local civil protection officials said armed members of the Gran Grif gang carried out the assault in the Jean-Denis area at around 3 a.m. on Sunday.

Artibonite, an important agricultural region, has experienced some of the worst violence in Haiti as gang activity spreads beyond the capital, Port-au-Prince.

The violence followed recent United Nations reports indicating that more than 2,000 people had already been displaced by similar gang raids in nearby Verrettes, which also caused residents of Petite-Rivière to flee.

In March, the United States announced a reward of up to $3 million for information on the financial operations of the Gran Grif and Viv Ansanm groups. Both groups have been designated as terrorist organizations by Washington.

Haitian security forces — backed by a UN-supported international mission and a US private military contractor — have stepped up operations against gangs that control much of the capital. However, no major gang leader has yet been captured.

Since 2021, gang violence has displaced more than one million people, worsened food insecurity, and resulted in nearly 20,000 deaths across Haiti, with the toll rising each year.

Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru