Haiti mourns four victims of gang massacre as survivors demand answers
Haiti holds funerals for four victims of a brutal gang attack that killed 47, as survivors demand police accountability.
Hundreds of mourners packed a church in the farming community of Kenscoff, near Port-au-Prince, on Sunday to bid farewell to four of the 47 people killed in a recent gang assault that has deeply shaken a nation already gripped by violence.
As coffins arrived, congregants wept, raised their hands, and cried out in grief. The church overflowed, forcing dozens to stand outside and peer through windows. Among those laid to rest were a mother, father, and their son, along with a 70-year-old man whose body was set ablaze by the attackers.
Pastor Jean Robert Dorlus addressed the gathering, thanking those who came in solidarity. "God will open a space to receive them," he said.
Yvonne Marleus, a local resident who lost a cousin in the attack, described the victims as respected members of the community. She also voiced anger at the police, alleging they failed to intervene. "They didn't act in time to stop the carnage," she said.
Haiti's National Police have ordered an investigation into the assault to determine whether it stemmed from "complicity or negligence."
The attack, which occurred on August 23, involved around 150 heavily armed gang members, according to the U.N. Human Rights Office. They first killed 13 people attempting to flee, then forced roughly 50 others out of a church where they had sought refuge, executing 22 in the courtyard and 12 behind the building. Dozens more were injured, and over 2,600 people were left homeless.
Gangs also abducted more than 50 people during the assault. Six children and seven women were released recently following intervention by community leaders and UNICEF.
Survivors described harrowing escapes. Jean Calixte Juste said he and two cousins survived "by luck," nearly falling into a ravine while running. "This is the worst and most terrible night I've ever experienced," he said, adding that he feared another major attack. "I'm ready to leave."
Outside the church, armed civilians stood guard alongside police officers, prepared to repel any further incursions.
The violence is part of a broader crisis. Armed groups control an estimated 70% of Port-au-Prince and large areas beyond, and are now seeking to expand into Kenscoff. Gang violence has displaced a record of nearly 1.5 million people across Haiti, with more than 3,050 people killed between January and June this year, according to the U.N.