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2024 Pont-Sondé attack

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Coordinates: 19°08′57″N 72°36′53″W / 19.1493°N 72.6147°W / 19.1493; -72.6147
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19°08′57″N 72°36′53″W / 19.1493°N 72.6147°W / 19.1493; -72.6147

2024 Pont-Sondé attack
Part of the gang war in Haiti
LocationPont-Sondé, Haiti
Coordinates19°08′57″N 72°36′53″W / 19.1493°N 72.6147°W / 19.1493; -72.6147
Date3 October 2024
TargetHaitian police personnel, civilians
Attack type
Shooting, arson, stabbing
WeaponsAutomatic assault rifles · knifes · fire
Deaths115+
Injured50+
PerpetratorGran Grif Gang
Gang war in Haiti
Background
Battles
Attacks

On 3 October 2024, the town of Pont-Sondé, Haiti, was the site of a massacre[1] perpetrated by the Gran Grif gang, leaving at least 115 people dead[2] and at least 50 injured.[3] Thousands more fled the town after the attack, which is part of the ongoing gang war in Haiti.[4]

Background

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The Gran Grif gang operates in the department of Artibonite and is considered one of Haiti's cruelest gangs,[5] with nine mass kidnappings attributed to the group between October 2023 to January 2024.[6] The gang was formed after former legislator Prophane Victor began arming young men nearly a decade ago to secure his election and control the area. Both Victor and the gang's current leader Luckson Elan, have also been sanctioned by the United States in September 2024 and by the United Nations Security Council.[6][7] Rumors of an impending attack on the town had been circulating since August 2024, after the gang accused residents of collaborating with a self-defense group called "The Coalition" and hindering the operations of a makeshift toll established by the gang on a road[5] and issued a warning on social media.[2]

Attack

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The incident occurred on the morning of 3 October. The attackers, who had come from Savien,[6] entered the town using canoes and met little resistance from the police.[5] At least 115 people died[2] and at least 50 people were injured;[3] 16 of them, including two gang members, were seriously injured. Many of the dead were shot by automatic rifles,[8] while others were stabbed.[6] They included 10 women and three infants.[5] The attackers also burned 45 houses and 34 vehicles[9] before fleeing by foot through a nearby farm.[5]

Many of the injured were taken to the Saint-Nicolas hospital in Saint-Marc, where the survivors also fled.[10]

Nearly 6,300 people were displaced.[11]

Reactions

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Prime Minister Garry Conille responded: "This heinous crime, perpetrated against defenseless women, men, and children, is not only an attack on these victims, but on the entire Haitian nation." The government ordered an elite police unit and medical supplies to Pont-Sondé.[5] Conille later visited the injured in Saint-Marc's hospital.[6] The Transitional Presidential Council held a minute of silence for the victims on 7 October.[12] The police commissioner for the Artibonite Department was dismissed on 4 October.[2] A government prosecutor called the attack a massacre.[5][13]

Luckson Elan blamed the government and Pont-Sondé's inhabitants for the attack, accusing them of passivity during attacks on Gran Grif members.[8] Survivors have questioned why authorities did not do anything to stop the attack since the gang had warned in a video posted on social media that it planned to target Pont-Sondé.[2]

United Nations Human Rights Office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan said his agency was horrified by the attack.[8] The European Union also condemned the attack.[11]

References

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  1. ^ Adams, David C. (7 October 2025). "As a Massacre Unfolded, a Frantic Call: 'Send for Help'". The New York Times.
  2. ^ a b c d e Sanon, Evens; Luxama, Pierre-Richard. "The death toll in a gang attack on a small Haitian town rises to at least 115, a local official says". Associated Press. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  3. ^ a b Corp, Rob (4 October 2024). "Children among 70 killed in Haiti gang 'massacre'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  4. ^ Isaac, Harold and Morland, Sarah (3 October 2024). Maler, Sandra (ed.). "Thousands flee gang killings in Haiti breadbasket town, media reports". Reuters. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "This week's gang attack on a Haitian town killed at least 70 people, UN says". Associated Press. 4 October 2024. Archived from the original on 8 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e Luxama, Pierre-Richard and Coto, Dánica (7 October 2024). "Thousands survived a brutal gang attack in Haiti that killed 70. Now they face an uncertain future". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  7. ^ "At least 70 killed in gang attack on Haitian town, UN says". France 24. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 5 October 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  8. ^ a b c "At least 70 people killed in gang attack on Haitian town: UN". Al Jazeera. 4 October 2024. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  9. ^ "Haitian Gang Slaughters at Least 70 People as Thousands Flee". US News & World Report. Reuters. 4 October 2024. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  10. ^ "Death toll in Haiti brutal gang attack last week rises to 115". Africanews. 10 October 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  11. ^ a b Luxama, Pierre-Richard and Hughes, Eléonore (6 October 2024). "Over 6,000 people in Haiti leave their homes after gang attack killed dozens". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  12. ^ Sanon, Evens (7 October 2024). "New leader takes over Haiti's transitional presidential council marred by corruption allegations". Associated Press. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  13. ^ "A gang in Haiti has killed more than 20 and injured dozens after raiding a small town, official says". Associated Press. 3 October 2024. Archived from the original on 8 October 2024. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
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