Haitian Gang Murders 110 Individuals Accused of Witchcraft

A human rights organization reports that a minimum of 110 individuals, predominantly elderly, were brutally killed by gang members in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. The National Human Rights Defence Network (RNDDH) stated that a local gang leader singled out these individuals following the illness and eventual death of his son. It is reported that the gang leader sought advice from a voodoo priest, who attributed the boy’s unexplained illness to elderly residents engaging in “witchcraft.” The United Nations indicated that the death toll from escalating gang violence in Haiti this year has reached “a staggering 5,000.” While information regarding the recent massacre continues to surface, Volker Türk, the UN’s human rights chief, reported on Monday that 184 people were killed over the weekend “in violence orchestrated by the leader of a powerful gang.” These fatalities occurred in the Cité Soleil neighbourhood of the capital. Reports indicate that gang members forcibly removed numerous residents over the age of 60 from their residences in the Wharf Jérémie area, gathered them, and then fatally shot or stabbed them with knives and machetes. Local inhabitants described witnessing dismembered bodies being incinerated in the streets. RNDDH estimated that 60 individuals were killed on Friday, with an additional 50 rounded up and murdered on Saturday, following the death of the gang leader’s son from his illness. Although RNDDH stated that all victims were over 60, another human rights organization reported that some younger individuals attempting to shield the elderly were also killed. Local news outlets reported that older individuals, presumed to be practitioners of voodoo, were specifically targeted because the gang leader had been informed they were responsible for his son’s ailment. Human rights organizations identified Monel Felix, also known as Mikano, as the individual who commanded these killings. Mikano is recognized for his control over Wharf Jérémie, a strategically important zone within the capital’s port. Romain Le Cour Grandmaison, a Haiti expert affiliated with the Global Initiative against Transnational Crime (GI-TOC), noted that this area is compact yet challenging for security forces to access. Local media reported that Mikano’s gang prevented residents from departing Wharf Jérémie, which consequently delayed the dissemination of information about the fatal incidents. This particular group is a component of the Viv Ansanm gang alliance, which holds sway over a significant portion of the Haitian capital. Haiti has experienced a surge in gang violence since the 2021 assassination of its then-president, Jovenel Moïse. Information compiled by GI-TOC indicates a reduction in the murder rate between May and September of this year, following an unstable truce established between competing gangs. However, the gangs’ efforts to extend their influence beyond their primary territories in the capital have resulted in exceptionally violent events over the last two months, with civilians, rather than opposing gang members, increasingly becoming targets. On 3 October, 115 local inhabitants were killed in Pont-Sondé, a small town in the Artibonite department. This mass killing was reportedly perpetrated by the Gran Grif gang as retribution for some residents forming a vigilante group to oppose Gran Grif’s extortion attempts. Should it be confirmed, the UN’s reported death toll for the Cité Soleil killings this weekend would mark it as the most lethal event of the year to date. With gangs dominating an estimated 85% of Port-au-Prince and expanding areas of the rural landscape, hundreds of thousands of Haitians have been compelled to abandon their residences. The International Organization for Migration states that over 700,000 individuals, with children accounting for half of that number, are internally displaced throughout the nation. Gang members frequently employ sexual abuse, including gang rape, to instill fear among the populace. In a report released two weeks prior, Nathalye Cotrino, a Human Rights Watch researcher, observed that “the rule of law in Haiti is so broken that members of criminal groups rape girls or women without fearing any consequences.” Efforts by the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support Mission to suppress the violence have been unsuccessful thus far. This international police force deployed to Haiti in June to reinforce the Haitian National Police, but it suffers from insufficient funding and lacks the essential equipment required to confront the heavily armed gangs. Concurrently, the Transitional Presidential Council (TPC), established to arrange elections and restore democratic governance, appears to be experiencing instability. The TPC replaced the interim prime minister last month but has seemingly achieved minimal advancement in preparing for elections. “They reign over a mountain of ashes,” states Romain Le Cour Grandmaison of GI-TOC in his report concerning the council.