On October 5, the Haitian government condemned the massacre committed by the Gran Grif (Big Claws) gang in the town of Pont-Sondé, in the Artibonite region, located between the capital Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien.
According to Bertide Horace, spokesperson for a local association, the attack was ordered by Luckson Elan, head of Grand Grif, because several residents of Pont Sondé refused to pay the toll that the gang was charging to travel on the road linking Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien: “The bandits took over the village and executed dozens of residents. Almost all the victims died from a bullet to the head.” In addition, according to a statement from the United Nations Human Rights Office, “As the attacks unfolded, gang members reportedly set fire to at least 45 houses and 34 vehicles, forcing a number of residents to flee.”
Chilling videos recorded by residents and posted on the internet show dozens of people running in terror as gang members open fire indiscriminately on the civilian population. Some 3,000 residents of Pont Sondé were forced to flee their homes due to the withering attack; the footage shows people fleeing on motorcycles to other villages, while others escaped into the bushes bordering the town, entering the undergrowth to stay out of sight of the killers.
Acting Prime Minister Garry Conille wrote on his X account “My visit to St-Marc after the tragic Pont-Sondé massacre reminded me of the strength and resilience of our people. The warm welcome I received there testifies to our ability to overcome pain together and build a future of peace and justice.” Conille is now on an international trip seeking more assistance for the MSS, his first stop was the United Arab Emirates.
According to Radyo Rezistans, a Haitian news outlet and radio station, the Pont-Sondé massacre, one of the worst in Haiti’s recent history, is evidence that the Haitian state has no way of protecting its citizens from gang attacks. They have also stated that the United Nations-backed and Western-financed Multinational Security Support Mission, in which hundreds of Kenyan policemen are assisting the Haitian police, is not producing the expected results.
Despite this, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has insisted that this is the best way to protect the lives of Haitians and requested last week for “increased international financial and logistical assistance to the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission in Haiti.”
