Under Siege

Gunmen killed at least 70 people in a central Haitian town this week, the latest flare-up of violence in the crisis-plagued Caribbean island nation despite the presence of an international United Nations-backed security force, Al Jazeera reported.

On Thursday, UN officials said members of the Gran Grif gang launched an assault on the town of Pont-Sonde, about 60 miles from the capital of Port-au-Prince. The death toll included 10 women and three infants. More than 3,000 people fled the town.

The attackers also set fire to at least 45 homes and 34 cars, the UN added.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the attack, with other officials saying it was the worst in the region. Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille described it as an “odious crime” and ordered authorities to send medical supplies and additional reinforcements to the region.

Authorities have not determined the motive of the attack but it is the latest to afflict Haiti’s agricultural Artibonite region, which has been increasingly terrorized by gang violence spreading from the capital.

Local human rights groups criticized the country’s intelligence and security services for failing to prevent the attack, noting that rumors of a potential gang assault had been circulating for months, the Washington Post wrote.

In recent years, Haiti has been plagued with violence stemming from criminal gangs that control about 80 percent of Port-au-Prince. The country is also dealing with a political crisis following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and has not held an election since 2016.

More than 700,000 people have been displaced and nearly half of its population is experiencing acute hunger, according to the World Food Program.

Last week, the UN Human Rights Office said more than 3,661 people have been killed in “senseless” gang violence in the country this year.

A Kenyan-led international policing mission – supported by the UN – has been deployed in the country to help local security forces combat armed gangs and create stability so that Haiti can hold elections.

While it could ultimately grow to 2,500 officers, only 410 personnel have been deployed since June. The mission has been hampered by a lack of personnel and funding, with only $85 million of the $600 million required per year secured.

The UN Security Council recently extended the mandate of the security mission for one year.

The United States wants to transform the mission into a UN peacekeeping operation but Russia and China have opposed the move.