UN Secretary General António Guterres has condemned a gang attack in Haiti that killed at least 47 people, including 22 who were reportedly executed at a church compound where they had sought shelter.
The attack took place at the weekend in Kenscoff, a community on the outskirts of the capital Port-au-Prince.
« The relentless gang attacks on communities and the loss of lives underscore the alarming security conditions in Haiti and reinforce the urgent need to intensify Haitian and international security efforts to counter gangs, » Guterres’ spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, said in a statement on Tuesday.
Guterres also reiterated his call for Haitian authorities to « ensure that those responsible for such attacks are held accountable, » including through specialized judicial units recently established with international support to investigate mass crimes.
According to the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), more than 50 people were also abducted and 22 injured in Sunday night’s attack on Kenscoff, around 10 kilometres south of Port-au-Prince.
The attackers targeted the centre of the community, setting numerous homes on fire and storming a church compound where displaced people had sought shelter, broadcaster Radio Télé Galaxie reported.
The UN’s Dujarric said it was believed that 22 of the victims were killed at the church complex.
Police eventually managed to push back the attackers and regain control of the area.
Haiti’s transitional government confirmed the attack but did not provide a death toll. It described the violence as a « heinous criminal attack, » placed security forces on the highest level of alert and deployed reinforcements.
Strategic location targeted by gangs
Criminal gangs have been trying for years to seize control of Kenscoff because of the mountainous community’s strategic location, which allows control over key road connections.
Kenscoff is also close to Pétion-Ville, a comparatively affluent suburb of the capital that is home to numerous institutions, embassies and banks.
The community lies at an altitude of around 2,000 metres and, thanks to its cooler climate, is considered a relatively desirable residential area in the Caribbean country, which has been plagued by poverty and violence.