Haiti gangs have slowed attacks in the capital, but they have intensified elsewhere

Gang violence continues to be responsible for hundreds of deaths and injuries in Haiti, where attacks by criminal groups have slowed in recent months in the capital but have intensified against farming communities and other rural areas outside of Port-au-Prince.

During the third quarter of this year, July 1 to Sept. 30, at least 1,247 people were killed and 710 injured because of violence perpetrated by gangs, self-defense groups and members of the public, as well as operations by security forces, according to the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti. The office said in its latest report on the human rights situation that there were at least 145 kidnappings for ransom and 400 victims of sexual violence during the quarter.

“Sexual violence perpetrated by armed gangs remains at an alarming level,” the U.N. said. “Most of these acts involve gang rapes, often committed during home invasions or while victims are moving through the streets. Such sexual violence, frequently used as a tool of exploitation or punishment, has devastating physical, psychological, economic and social consequences for survivors and their families.”

The report noted horrific attacks even though their numbers have dropped in gang-controlled areas of metropolitan Port-au-Prince.

In two incidents that occurred in Cité Soleil on Sept. 11 and 15, three children as young as 10 “were beaten and another killed by members of the Simon Pelé and Terre Noire gangs, after altercations that occurred during football matches in which they were taking part.”

In another incident, a woman was beaten to death after being accused by a member of the Grand Ravine gang of having used witchcraft to kill his partner.

“One of the victim’s daughters was also beaten and had her feet burned before being released,” the report said. “The perpetrator then demanded that the family of the woman killed pay 300,000 gourdes [about $2,200] in order to recover her body.”

Gang members have been killed for committing crimes against residents or for violating internal gang rules, the U.N. said. On Sept. 23, a cell leader of the Village de Dieu gang was informed that a 14-year-old boy, also a member of the same gang, had been accused by the local population of raping a 9-year-old girl in Martissant.

The boy was violently beaten with a baseball bat after being detained in a building. “He was subsequently ‘sentenced’ to death,” the report said. “He was shot dead the same day in front of the population.”

“As in the previous quarter, gangs continued to use violence against residents of neighborhoods under their control, particularly those who resisted their authority or were suspected of collaborating with the police or self-defense groups,” the U.N. said.

The self-defense groups were not without blame. The report noted that some committed serious abuses, including the killing of individuals suspected of belonging to gangs or collaborating with them. Individuals were often shot or attacked with stones and machetes while unarmed and not involved in any acts of violence, the report said. In one incident August a man and a woman who had travelled from Saut d’Eau to purchase food at the Désarmes market were killed by members of the Désarmes self-defense group after being accused of being informants for the Canaan gang.

The report noted that even as Haiti’s security forces managed to successfully push back gangs from some neighborhoods in recent months, police, the country’s fledgling army, an international armed force and private security contractors were unable to regain control of some areas.

The report highlighted the ongoing situation in Kenscoff, the hillside community above Port-au-Prince that’s been under gang attacks since the beginning of the year. The situation remains tense due to repeated attacks by the Grand Ravine and Village de Dieu gangs, the U.N. noted. “Despite reinforced operations by the security forces to dislodge them, these two gangs succeeded in establishing cells in several areas.”

Equally concerning is the expansion of gang violence toward the peripheral and rural areas of the capital and toward the Artibonite and Center departments. In the Artibonite region, the situation remains extremely volatile as armed groups carry out repeated attacks, the U.N. noted.

“These attacks, often supported by gangs based in the capital – particularly 400 Mawozo, Canaan and Village de Dieu – in turn triggered a response from local self-defense groups, contributing to a highly lethal cycle of violence,” the U.N. said.

The attacks in the Artibonite and the Center were “largely indiscriminate, aimed at seizing control of localities located along strategic roadways leading to the northern and eastern parts of the country,” the report noted.

At least 30% of the deaths are attributed to attacks involving armed groups. Another 61% of the deaths and injuries occurred during security operations conducted against gangs, including summary executions involving police, drone strikes supported by a private military company, and the government prosecutor in Miragoâne, the U.N. said.

At least 39 deaths, including 20 children, have been attributed to the use of explosive drones by a task force operated under the supervision of a foreign private military company, Vectus Global, founded by Erik Prince, the founder of the American private military contractor Blackwater.

And at least one death during the quarter involved the public prosecutor of Miragoâne, Jean Ernest Muscadin.

“The incident occurred on 23 July …when an armed man was shot dead by him,” the U.N. said. “In the previous quarter, this prosecutor executed 27 people with complete impunity.”

Amid the ongoing gang attacks on homes, public infrastructures and other buildings, Haitians continue to face severe challenges in getting healthcare, food and schooling. By the end of September, more than 1.4 million people had been displaced across the country.

The U.N. office noted that as of Sept. 30, 35 individuals had been sanctioned by Canada, 18 by the United States, 15 by the European Union and 10 by the United Kingdom for acts undermining peace, security and stability in Haiti, as well as for serious human rights violations. In addition, to date, nine individuals and two criminal gangs, Gran Grif and Viv Ansanm, remain subject to U.N. Security Council sanctions.

The U.N. called on Haitian authorities to use specialized judicial units to combat mass crimes, including sexual violence, as well as financial crimes. The agency also asked authorities to conduct judicial investigations of officers accused of involvement in serious human rights violations.

In September, the U.N. Security Council approved the creation of a Gang Suppression Force for Haiti, with a goal of having 5,000 troops help combat the gangs.