Santo Domingo, Apr 24 (EFE).- More than 400 people have been killed in armed attacks in Haiti in the last six months, according to a report published Monday by the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH), which demanded explanations from the authorities in view of the increase in violence against civilians.
Between November 2022 and Monday, there have been at least eight armed attacks against residents by gangs in their battle for control of metropolitan Port-au-Prince.
Raids, sporadic armed attacks and massacres against the Haitian population have intensified since the beginning of the year, particularly in the Ouest and Artibonite departments, causing the murders of “hundreds of people and the gang-rape of dozens of women and girls,” said RNDDH.
More than 50 areas have come under attack since the beginning of the year, according to the NGO – areas that were once known for their tranquility but now gangs operate where they want and take control of any area that interests them, the report continued.
The last attack was on Sunday night in Debussy district of Port-au-Prince, which was preceded by violence in various areas of the capital.
During the night of Nov. 29-30, in Source Matelas, 72 people were killed, 29 women and girls were victims of gang rapes, and hundreds of houses were set on fire.
Between Feb. 28 and Mar. 5, Bel-Air was the scene of violent armed clashes between members of the G9 Family and Allies armed gang and the Bel-Air gang, leaving 148 people dead or missing and 62 houses burned down.
From Apr. 14-19, armed clashes in several areas of Cité Soleil resulted in the murder of at least 70 people and another 40 wounded by bullets or stabbings, but to date no complete data has been established.
The organization also alludes to raids carried out since Apr. 19 in Source Matelas, where at least 100 people have been killed, some of them after being trapped in houses that gang members set on fire, while dozens of people have been shot.
“RNDDH vehemently condemns the climate of terror established and maintained in the country by the very people who owe protection to the Haitian people. It is clear that the armed bandits, protected by the political coalition in power, have been given carte blanche to attack the civilian population left to their own devices,” it said.
The NGO pointed out that the government canceled measures put in place by the police authorities from February to October 2022 to contain the armed gangs, saying this has allowed “armed gangs to fully control the metropolitan area.” EFE
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