2024 Pont-Sondé attack
19°08′57″N 72°36′53″W / 19.1493°N 72.6147°W
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (October 2024) |
| 2024 Pont-Sondé attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of the gang war in Haiti | |
| Location | Pont-Sondé, Haiti |
| Coordinates | 19°08′57″N 72°36′53″W / 19.1493°N 72.6147°W |
| Date | 3 October 2024 |
| Target | Haitian police personnel, civilians |
Attack type | Shooting, arson, stabbing |
| Weapons | Automatic assault rifles · knifes · fire |
| Deaths | 70+ |
| Injured | 50+ |
| Perpetrator | Gran Grif |
| Gang war in Haiti |
|---|
| Background |
| Battles |
| Attacks |
On 3 October 2024, the town of Pont-Sondé, Haiti, was attacked by the Gran Grif gang, leaving at least 70 people dead[1] and at least 50 injured.[2] Thousands more fled the town after the attack, which is part of the ongoing gang war in Haiti.[3]
Background
[edit]The Gran Grif gang operates in the department of Artibonite and is considered one of Haiti's cruelest gangs,[4] with nine mass kidnappings attributed to the group between October 2023 to January 2024.[5] Its leaders, former MP Prophane Victor and Luckson Elan, have also been sanctioned by the United States in September 2024 and by the United Nations Security Council.[5][6] Rumors of an impending attack on the town had been circulating since August 2024, after the gang accused residents of collaborating with a self-defense group called "The Coalition" and hindering the operations of a makeshift toll established by the gang on a road.[4]
Attack
[edit]The incident occurred on the morning of 3 October. The attackers, who had come from Savien,[5] entered the town using canoes and met little resistance from police.[4] Seventy people died.[1] At least 50 people were injured;[2] 16 of them, including two gang members, were seriously injured. Many of the dead were shot by automatic rifles,[7] while others were stabbed.[5] They included 10 women and three infants.[4] The attackers also burned 45 houses and 34 vehicles[1] before fleeing by foot through a nearby farm.[4]
Many of the injured were taken to hospital in Saint-Marc, where the survivors also fled. A government prosecutor called the attack a massacre.[8][4] Nearly 6,300 people were displaced.[9]
Reactions
[edit]Prime Minister Garry Conille responded: "This heinous crime, perpetrated against defenseless women, men, and children, is not only an attack on these victims, but on the entire Haitian nation." The government ordered an elite police unit and medical supplies to Port-Sondé.[4] Conille later visited the injured in Saint-Marc's hospital.[5] The Transitional Presidential Council held a minute of silence for the victims on 7 October.[10]
United Nations Human Rights Office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan said his agency was horrified by the attack.[7] The European Union also condemned the attack.[9]
Luckson Elan blamed the government and Port-Sondé's inhabitants for the attack, accusing them of passivity during attacks on Gran Grif members.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Haitian Gang Slaughters at Least 70 People as Thousands Flee". US News & World Report. Reuters. 4 October 2024. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ a b Corp, Rob (4 October 2024). "Children among 70 killed in Haiti gang 'massacre'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ Isaac, Harold; Morland, Sarah (3 October 2024). Maler, Sandra (ed.). "Thousands flee gang killings in Haiti breadbasket town, media reports". Reuters. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g "This week's gang attack on a Haitian town killed at least 70 people, UN says". Associated Press. 4 October 2024. Archived from the original on 8 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Luxama, Pierre-Richard; Coto, Dánica (7 October 2024). "Thousands survived a brutal gang attack in Haiti that killed 70. Now they face an uncertain future". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ "At least 70 killed in gang attack on Haitian town, UN says". France 24. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 5 October 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ a b c "At least 70 people killed in gang attack on Haitian town: UN". Al Jazeera. 4 October 2024. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ "A gang in Haiti has killed more than 20 and injured dozens after raiding a small town, official says". Associated Press. 3 October 2024. Archived from the original on 8 October 2024. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
- ^ a b Luxama, Pierre-Richard; Hughes, Eléonore (6 October 2024). "Over 6,000 people in Haiti leave their homes after gang attack killed dozens". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ Sanon, Evens (7 October 2024). "New leader takes over Haiti's transitional presidential council marred by corruption allegations". Associated Press. Retrieved 8 October 2024.