By The New York Times (U.S.) | Created at 2024-10-04 15:18:52 | Updated at 2024-10-04 17:22:29
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The assault took place in a key agricultural region, which has seen a surge in gang violence.
Oct. 4, 2024, 11:15 a.m. ET
At least 20 people were killed in a gang attack in central Haiti on Thursday that sent hundreds of people running for their lives, posing another challenge for the international security force that has been deployed in Haiti since June.
The attack took place at about 3 a.m. in Pont-Sondé, roughly 60 miles north of Port-au-Prince, the capital. The town is in the Artibonite department, a key agricultural region that has seen a surge in gang violence.
While the gangs that the international security force has been sent to confront are mostly concentrated in Port-au-Prince, they have also spread their violence outside the capital, including the Artibonite.
More than 20 people were killed, including women and children, and 50 more were injured, according to the Haitian Health Ministry. A spokesman for the multinational security force deployed to Haiti said that they had confirmed 17 victims.
“This attack comes amid an upsurge in violence in the region, exacerbating an already extremely precarious security situation,” the health ministry said in a statement. “This violence disrupts the daily lives of residents, limiting their access to basic services, particularly health care. Persistent insecurity also prevents humanitarian interventions in certain localities, making the situation increasingly critical.”
While the ministry was attempting to use United Nations resources to respond by air, “direct intervention capacities are severely limited, due to the almost impossible access to the affected area,” the ministry said.
