A Haitian gang leader is accused of ordering the massacre of more than 100 people, which include elderly religious leaders in retaliation to the death of his son.
The killings unfolded between Friday and Saturday in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, according to the National Human Rights Defense Network.
The gang leader, Micanor Altès, also known as Monel Felix and Wa Mikanò, allegedly consulted a Vodou priest after his son fell ill.
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The boy died shortly after and Altès began accusing older community members of practicing witchcraft and causing the child’s illness, the organization stated.
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Human rights groups stated that the Haitian gang leader’s gunmen abducted community leaders in the Cité Soleil neighborhood and brought them to his stronghold, where they were all executed alongside motorcycle drivers who attempted to intervene.
“He decided to cruelly punish all elderly people and Vodou practitioners who, in his imagination, would be capable of casting a bad spell on his son,” the Cooperative for Peace and Development said in a statement.
Reports indicate that the group made it clear residents are forbidden from leaving the area, as gang members continue to identify suspected Vodou practitioners and elderly individuals to target in what it described as “silent killings.”
On Monday, Haiti’s government confirmed that over 100 people were killed in what it called “unspeakable carnage.”
Officials have since made a pledge to pursue justice, although investigations are hindered by the country’s widespread gang violence.
The United Nations reported that at least 184 people, including 127 elderly men and women, were murdered between Friday and Sunday.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned the violence and urged Haitian authorities to investigate the matter thoroughly in order to hold the perpetrators accountable.
Human rights organizations and community watchdogs have also estimated that over 100 people were killed.
Nonetheless, the conflicting accounts and limited access to gang-controlled areas have made it difficult to verify these numbers.
“The fact that we have so many doubts about what happened days after the massacre is a signal that clearly indicates the level of control gangs have on the population,” Diego Da Rin, an analyst with the International Crisis Group said.
The Haitian gang leader controls coastal areas including Wharf Jérémie, La Saline, and Fort Dimanche, and has previously targeted Vodou practitioners.
In the last few years, he reportedly killed lots of older women and Vodou leaders after accusing them of witchcraft, according to the Cooperative for Peace and Development.
Haiti’s National Police remain overwhelmed by the rising violence, with a U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police facing severe funding and staffing shortages.
This year, over 4,500 people have reportedly been killed in Haiti as the country is filled with immense gang violence and a worsening humanitarian crisis, as per U.N. figures.
