At least 50 citizens killed in Haiti by "Gangs of Vif Ansanm"

SadaNews - A non-governmental human rights organization reported on Monday that more than fifty people were killed last week by a coalition of gangs, noting that the killers left many bodies in the fields for dogs to scavenge.

Haiti, the poorest country in Latin America, is plagued by criminal gangs that instill terror amid a deep political crisis.

The situation in the country has worsened since the beginning of 2024, when then-Prime Minister Ariel Henry was forced to resign by these armed groups, which now control 90% of the capital Port-au-Prince, according to the United Nations.

In a report received by Agence France-Presse, the "National Network for the Defense of Human Rights" stated that "on September 11 and 12, 2025, terrorists from the criminal alliance 'Vif Ansanm' operating in the town of Cabaret committed a brutal massacre against the civilian population in the Labodrie neighborhood."

It added that "Vif Ansanm" (Living Together), the main gang coalition in Haiti, "killed more than 50 people and burned dozens of homes."

The human rights organization explained in its report that "as of September 14, 2025, many victims have not yet been found, while bodies were still lying in fields being scavenged by dogs."

The report noted that some survivors managed to flee to nearby areas, while "others took to the sea in small boats in an attempt to escape this barbarity."

According to the organization, the town of Cabaret, located about 25 kilometers north of the capital Port-au-Prince, has been under the control of "Vif Ansanm" since March 2024, which accuses the residents of Labodrie of being "police informants."

In response to this massacre, the transitional presidential council, which took over the government following Ariel Henry's resignation in April 2024, expressed its "deep outrage" regarding these "atrocities."

For his part, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres confirmed in a post on the platform "X" his "condemnation" of this "brutal attack," calling on the international community to "strengthen" the multinational security support mission.

This mission, led by Kenya, has been deployed in Haiti for over a year to assist the Haitian police.

This force is suffering from a lack of equipment and funding and is finding it difficult to tackle gang violence.