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Haitian residents lynch and set fire to suspected gang members

The United Nations warns in a new report that insecurity in the capital “has reached levels comparable to countries in armed conflict.”
People look at bodies in the street after gang-related violence in the capital of Port-au-Prince, Haiti on April 24, 2023.
People look at bodies in the street after gang-related violence Monday in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. Richard Pierrin / AFP - Getty Images
/ Source: Reuters

Haitian police said on Monday that at least 10 suspected gang members had been lynched and their bodies burned by residents of Port-au-Prince.

Haitian police spokesperson Gary Desrosiers said the group of armed bandits had been traveling in a vehicle in the capital and that police had intended to arrest them.

Separately, he said notorious crime boss Carlo Petithomme was dead, without giving any details. Petithomme went by the alias Ti Makak and led a gang of the same name.

The lynchings followed days of confrontations between gang members and security agents.

Photos by Reuters and video circulating on social media show several bodies piled in the road, with smoking tires and other objects on top of them. People surround them, shouting angrily. One person can be seen beating the lifeless bodies with a blunt object.

Gangs in Haiti have grown in strength since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, with residents caught in the middle as large portions of the capital and much of the countryside have become lawless.

Bystanders look at the bodies of alleged gang members that were set on fire by a mob after they were stopped by police in the Canape Vert area of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on April 24, 2023.
Bystanders look at the bodies of alleged gang members who were set on fire by a mob after they were stopped by police in the Canape Vert area of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Monday.Odelyn Joseph / AP

The security situation has deteriorated further in recent months, with routine gun fights taking place between police officers and the gangs. Bloody turf battles have left hundreds dead and thousands displaced.

Desrosiers said the anger of the population was understandable “but the collaboration we are seeking must be done without violence.”

Criminal groups control about 80% of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, where some 200 gangs operate with impunity, according to estimates.

The lynching comes as United Nations chief Antonio Gutterres urged the immediate deployment of an international armed force in Haiti to stem escalating gang violence, warning in a new report released Monday that insecurity in the capital “has reached levels comparable to countries in armed conflict.”