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6mo ago

Rights Groups Report 70 Killed in Haiti’s Artibonite as Gangs Renew Attacks

Blocked roads plus clashing death counts reveal a security response under strain.

This file photo shows Haitian security forces as they partrol the Prime Minister's office and the headquarters of the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT), as the mandate of the transitional governing council, formed to curb gang violence and pave the way for long-delayed election, is set to end on February 7 with no succession plan in place, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, February 6, 2026.
A police officer stands guard in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
A police vehicle is parked in front of a police station in Artibonite department in central Haiti, August 29, 2025. REUTERS/Fildor Pq Egeder/File Photo
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Overview

  • Gran Grif gunmen swept through Jean-Denis and nearby Pont-Sondé late Sunday into Monday, shooting residents and torching homes, according to rights groups and local accounts.
  • Human-rights monitors Defenders Plus and RNDDH now put the death toll near 70 with about 30 wounded, compared with the police count of 16 dead and 10 injured.
  • Nearly 6,000 people fled and dozens of houses burned, as trenches and barricades left by gangs slowed armored police vehicles and delayed access for rescuers.
  • Reuters reported Tuesday that gunmen regrouped near Marchand Dessalines after pulling back from Jean-Denis, and residents said night raids often resume once police depart.
  • The UN condemned the killings, the U.S. has labeled Gran Grif a terrorist group, and a UN-backed force with Kenyan police support is preparing a broader deployment.