Haiti: Gang Attacks in Port-Au-Prince Area, at Least 104 Killed

At least 104 people were killed or disappeared during armed attacks perpetrated in the Carrefour-Feuilles sector, south of Port-au-Prince, between August 4 and September 12, said Tuesday the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH).

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There were also 2 cases of gang rape of a mother and her daughter, 14 people shot and 35 houses systematically ransacked before being set on fire, destroyed or illegally occupied, the Haitian NGO added in a statement.

"For justice to be done and reparations to be granted to the victims and the families of the victims of these massacres, the Haitian State has the obligation to put an end to the protection of armed bandits and the impunity from which they benefit," the RNDDH exposed.

This organization, which has helped some of the victims to file complaints with the judicial authorities, said it was "deeply concerned" by the various attacks perpetrated against the population of Carrefour-Feuilles since the beginning of August.

Last Friday, 78 of the victims filed a complaint with the dean of the Port-au-Prince Court of First Instance, Magistrate Bernard Saint-vil, alleging murder, attempted murder, criminal conspiracy, robbery, destruction and arson.

"The complaint alleges the killing of 71 people, the disappearance of 5 others and the shooting dead of 10 people. The victims also allege that their houses were looted, burned, occupied or demolished by the armed bandits," the statement said.

Since August 4, heavily armed bandits, members of the Team Ascenseur gang operating in Grand-Ravine and led by an alias Ti Lapli, have been killing with impunity and setting fire to several localities in Carrefour-Feuilles, causing human and material losses.

According to several reports, the armed groups control much of Port-au-Prince and other parts of the country and are responsible for hundreds of murders, kidnappings and other crimes.