At least 70 people were killedamong them several children, and about thirty were injured this Sunday in Haiti in a massacre perpetrated by armed group ‘Great Grif’ against the population of Jean Denis, in the department of Artibonite, north of Port-au-Prince.
Some fifty houses were burned and more than 6,000 people have been displaced as a result of this attack, Antonal Mortimé, director of the NGO ‘Collectif Défenseurs Plus’, reported this Monday in a program on the local radio station Radio Television Caraibes (RTVC).
The attack perpetrated by ‘Gran Grif’ began between three and four in the morning on Sunday, according to the information available, which states that the armed group blocked the main roads to prevent the police from reacting.
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In videos circulating on social networks, you can see members of the gangs, armed with weapons of war, boasting about their atrocity while shooting everywhere in the invaded area, which had to be abandoned by the population, who denounce the passivity of the Haiti National Police (PNH).
For its part, the Police reported this Monday on their Facebook page that at least 16 people died in the attack and another 10 were injured.
“The police finally intervened, but before that, the gangs had already killed 16 people, injured another ten and burned down several houses,” the institution said without further details.
A soldier patrols in front of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) as the Government announces the registration deadline for political parties for the next general elections, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 3, 2026. Photo: Clarens SIFFROY / AFP
/ CLARENS SIFFROY
The PNH claimed to have repelled the gangs, who blocked the roads and dug ditches to prevent their intervention, a “situation gave the criminals time to cause several victims and set fire to several houses before fleeing,” added the Police, who stressed that from now on they control the situation.
“Once the Police took control, the population, for its part, transported the wounded and the bodies in front of a local police station, the institution detailed.
The inhabitants of the affected area claim that it was the gangs themselves that withdrew.
The Police added that they continue their operations “with the objective of pursuing the fleeing bandits and guaranteeing the safety of the people who live in the area.”
