Haiti is facing a devastating new wave of violence as heavily armed gangs launched a brutal, large-scale assault on the country's central region over the weekend. The attacks, which began late on Friday and continued into Saturday, have left nearly a dozen people dead, including a mother and her child, and forced hundreds of terrified residents to flee their burning homes under cover of darkness.
Artibonite Region Falls Under Gang Control
According to emergency calls from Haitian police, the coordinated attacks targeted towns including Bercy and Pont-Sondé in the vital Artibonite region. The SPNH-17 police union stated on Sunday that approximately 50% of the Artibonite region had fallen under gang control following the onslaught. They described the situation as the "greatest security failure in modern Haitian history," lamenting the loss of both the West and Artibonite departments.
Guerby Simeus, an official in Pont-Sondé, confirmed on Monday that he had verified close to a dozen fatalities. The victims included a local government employee and the mother and child. He reported that gangs remained in control of the town and that no additional police reinforcements had arrived to assist the beleaguered local population.
Survivors Flee to Saint-Marc, Demand Action
Many of those who escaped the violence sought refuge in the coastal town of Saint-Marc. On Monday, hundreds of angry survivors gathered to demand government action against the gangs, which have repeatedly terrorised Haiti's central agricultural heartland. The frustration boiled over as the crowd attempted to break into the mayor's office.
"Give me the guns! I'm going to fight the gangs!" declared Réné Charles, a survivor of the attack. Another unnamed man told the Associated Press that the community was prepared to take matters into its own hands, stating, "We're not going to rely on the government any longer. We're going to take justice into our own hands!"
Political activist Charlesma Jean Marcos revealed that the gang had announced its intention to invade the area last week, but alerts to authorities went unheeded. He urged displaced survivors, who are sleeping on streets and in public parks, to occupy police stations and government offices until the state retakes control.
Gran Grif Gang Blamed for Escalating Violence
The attacks have been attributed to the notorious Gran Grif gang, which operates in the Artibonite area. This same group was responsible for a massacre in Pont-Sondé in October 2024 that killed at least 100 people. Gang members brazenly broadcast the latest assaults live on social media.
The UN Security Council and the US government have sanctioned Gran Grif's leader, Luckson Elan, for his role in the violence. Former legislator Prophane Victor was also sanctioned after the UN accused him of arming young men in the region.
A recent UN report highlighted a dramatic increase in killings in Haiti's Artibonite and Centre departments, with 1,303 victims reported from January to August this year, compared to 419 for the same period in 2024. The report warned that the assaults "underscore the capacity of gangs to consolidate control" amid limited law enforcement.
The crisis is unfolding while the bulk of Haiti's police force and the Kenyan officers leading a UN-backed security mission remain concentrated in the capital, Port-au-Prince, which is itself largely under gang control. This has left the central regions critically vulnerable. With main roads blocked by gangs and a record 1.4 million people already displaced nationwide, more than half of Haiti's population faces crisis levels of hunger, a situation now set to worsen dramatically.
