Port-au-Prince, Haiti — Over the past weekend, a horrific massacre unfolded in Cite Soleil, one of the most impoverished neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince, resulting in the deaths of 184 people. The violence, unparalleled in its brutality, is said to be the outcome of a gang leader’s retaliation linked to his child’s demise, which he attributed to supernatural causes.
The United Nations revealed that the massacres were concentrated among the elderly, with nearly 130 victims over the age of 60. Reports from the region describe a chilling scene where gang members not only killed but also burned the bodies of some victims, disposing of them in the sea.
The carnage in Cite Soleil is reportedly the work of Jean Monel Felix, alias “King Micanor,” leader of the Wharf Jeremie gang, who sought vengeance after the untimely death of his child. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, reported that the death toll in Haiti just this year, driven by such violence, has now reached an alarming 5,000.
Machetes and knives were the tools of choice as Felix’s gang carried out the killing spree, starting on Friday, with a focus on Haiti’s elderly, whom a voodoo priest accused of witchcraft against Felix’s child.
Local human rights groups, such as the National Human Rights Defence Network and the Committee for Peace and Development, indicate gang members marked individuals in their homes, forcibly taking them to Felix’s base for execution. This kind of targeting in homes has spread terror among the local population, effectively silencing and isolating them.
Cite Soleil’s strategic positioning between the main port and the international airport of Port-au-Prince underscores the logistical advantages it provides to gang operations, contributing to their sustained control over the region.
Felix is also a key player in the Viv Ansanm gang coalition under Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, a former police officer. This coalition has managed to seize large expanses of the capital and surrounding rural areas, further demonstrating the extensive reach and influence of gang coalitions in destabilizing the nation.
The UN’s human rights expert for Haiti, William O’Neill, condemned the massacre and criticized the growing impunity and cruelty exhibited by gang coalitions such as Viv Ansanm.
Amid these troubles, the Haitian government, crippled by internal discrepancies, has struggled to combat the increasing sway of gangs. Despite an international security mandate approved in 2023 to support local law enforcement initiatives, the mission remains significantly hampered by insufficient resources and international politics which have stalled additional support like the proposition of a full UN peacekeeping force due to vetoes from China and Russia.
The consequences of the sporadic and intense violence are staggering, with an immediate mass displacement of residents. The International Organization for Migration reports nearly 41,000 people displaced in just the last two weeks, while the total number displaced across Haiti has risen to over 700,000.
As Haiti grapples with this complex emergency of political instability, gang violence, and its humanitarian implications, the international community faces a critical challenge in addressing both the immediate needs and the underlying issues perpetuating the crisis.