04 Oct 2024 | 08:07 PM UTC
Haiti: Heightened security, disruptions likely over the coming days in Pont-Sonde, Saint-Marc Commune, after gang attack killed 70 people on Oct. 3
Tight security, disruptions likely in Pont-Sonde, Saint-Marc Commune, Haiti, in coming days, after gang attack kills 70 people on Oct. 3.
Increased security and disruptions to transport and businesses are likely in Pont-Sonde, Saint-Marc Commune, Artibonite department, over the coming days following an armed attack by the Gran Grif gang on Oct. 3, which resulted in at least 70 deaths and 16 injuries. At least two gang members were killed in clashes with authorities. The assailants reportedly swept through the town, firing automatic weapons and setting 45 houses and 34 vehicles ablaze, prompting locals to flee the area. While officials did not provide a suspected motive for the attack, they indicated that it is part of a trend of rising gang violence in the Artibonite region, a significant agricultural base.
Additional flare-ups of gang violence are possible in Pont-Sonde and surrounding areas over the coming days, potentially causing widespread disruptions to transport and business.
Pont-Sonde is approximately 71 km (44 miles from the capital Port-au-Prince.
Avoid the area. Maintain heightened vigilance if operating near Pont-Sonde. Prepare for heightened security and localized transport and business disruptions. Adhere to all instructions issued by local authorities and your home government.
The Artibonite region has functioned as a base for the Grif Gang. The recent action comes after the US government sanctioned Luckson Elan, the current leader in the gang, for human rights abuses through gang violence in the region. Then, on Sept. 26, the Haitian current transitional government stated its support for a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission to help stabilize the country, as it believes that the current Kenya-backed UN mission lacks the proper capabilities and funding.
