An armed gang has killed more than 100 people in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, according to human rights organizations and media reports.
The Combine for Peace and Development (CPD) released a statement on Sunday suggesting that the massacre was an act of revenge by a gang leader, Monel Felix.
Felix allegedly blamed Voodoo for the death of his son, who had died from a mysterious illness.
The New York Times reported that it had confirmed the massacre through a local resident, saying that the bloodshed occurred over Friday and Saturday in Wharf Jeremie, a district in Cité Soleil, the capital’s most notorious slum.
The majority of the victims were reportedly women and elderly men, with many of their bodies mutilated and burned in the streets.
The CPD said in the statement that Felix accused the people of Wharf Jeremie of cursing his son, and as punishment, he targeted older individuals and Voodoo followers. Voodoo, which has West African roots, is a recognized religion in Haiti.
Haiti is the poorest country on the American continent. The Caribbean state has been suffering for years from the violence of armed gangs, most of whom have Port-au-Prince under their control.
Efforts to restore order, such as the deployment of Kenyan police as part of a multinational protection force, have so far been largely ineffective.
GNA
