Members of an armed gang killed at least 12 people and set fire to several homes in Source Matelas, a community located north of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.
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According to local media, residents accuse members of a gang known as the Village de Dieu, who have been trying to control the area for some time due to its strategic position, although the specific details that caused the massacre are unknown.
“The bandits have returned to the area after being chased a few days ago by the police and members of the community. This morning we discovered several charred corpses,” the town’s mayor, Joseph Jeanson Guillaume, told reporters.
Au moins 12 people tuées dont une femme dans un carnage dans la soirée du mardi 29 Nov à Source-Matelas commune Cabaret. Environ une quinzaine de maisons ravagées par les flammes. enlisent dans leur laxisme. pic.twitter.com/pY9t51JvNd
— Erold Théodore Journaliste (@TheodoreErold)
November 30, 2022
Cabaret, the administrative demarcation to which Source Matelas belongs, is an intersection of routes to and from the Haitian capital, and the gangs seek to control circulation and merchandise traffic, explained the mayor.
“One of the most important ports in the country, which is located in the area, has not been able to function for several days. Our citizens live in fear of being attacked,” the official added.
According to some witnesses interviewed by the press, 12 bodies were found, including that of a woman, and some were burned.
The 5 Segonn gang of Village de Dieu gang leader Izo reportedly tried to overrun a village called Source Matelas (Gran Chemin) off Route Nationale 1 (near Cabaret) last night. They were repulsed but caused significant damage in the area. Seeing reports of casualties. #Haiti pic.twitter.com/XBrOYmtGWU
—Michael Deibert (@michaelcdeibert)
November 30, 2022
“The bandits have shown incalculable cruelty,” lamented Guillaume.
Press outlets record this massacre as the third that occurred in Haiti this year, after those that occurred in Cité Soleil and Croix des Bouquets, which together have left more than 500 dead and thousands displaced.