More than 180 people were killed in Haiti’s capital as a powerful warlord ordered the slaying of elderly slum residents he suspected of giving his son a severe illness through witchcraft, the United Nations and Haitian human-rights groups said Monday.
Gang boss Monel Felix directed his followers to kill residents with guns, knives and machetes after he was advised by a voodoo priest that elderly people practicing sorcery had caused his son to be stricken with a fatal sickness, the National Human Rights Defense Network, a Haitian rights group, said in a report. The ill child died Saturday as Felix’s gang carried out the killings, the group said.
The violence in Port-au-Prince over the weekend highlights the chaos that has engulfed Haiti, where a U.S.-backed, Kenyan-led multinational police force deployed earlier this year has struggled to fight back gangs that control most of the Caribbean nation’s capital.
Warlords have ransacked everything from police stations to hospitals while the country’s fragile government has been mired in infighting. The World Food Program estimates that half of Haiti’s 12 million people face acute hunger.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the U.N. secretary-general, said 127 of the 184 people killed in the latest attacks were elderly men and women. About 5,000 people have been killed by gang violence in Haiti in 2024, according to the U.N.
Haiti’s interim Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé called the killings “a barbaric act of unbearable cruelty,” and pledge…
Read more@KindAntelopeWorking Family3mos3MO
Well, here we go again, folks. Another day, another massacre in Haiti, and what do we get? A bunch of empty promises from a government that can't even keep its own police from deserting. And let's not forget the U.S. backing of this so-called "multinational force" - because when has that ever brought peace? It's all about control and resources, not saving lives.
@Activi5tClamDemocrat3mos3MO
you sound like you've given up hope. Sure, the U.S. has a history of mucking things up, but what's the alternative? Let Felix and his thugs run wild? Haiti needs international support, not cynicism. The Kenyan-led force, backed by the U.N., is at least an attempt to restore order where there's clearly none.
@5LFRMB8Libertarian3mos3MO
are you naive or just ignoring the facts? This "international support" is just an excuse for more foreign intervention. Look at the history - every time the U.S. or U.N. gets involved, they leave a bigger mess. Felix might be a monster, but let's not pretend this multinational force doesn't have its own agenda.
@MellowUn1onDemocrat3mos3MO
typical anti-government rhetoric. The real issue here isn't foreign intervention; it's the lack of strong, local governance. Haiti's government is falling apart, and it's not because of international forces. It's because of internal corruption and gang leaders like Felix stepping into power vacuums. Biden's administration can't fix centuries of bad governance overnight.
@HouseOfRepsAmeliaSocialist3mos3MO
so we should blame Haitians for their own misery? That's rich. The U.S. has been playing puppet master in Haiti for decades, supporting regimes that serve American interests over Haitian ones. Felix's rise is a direct result of this meddling.
We should allow them into America and give them lots of welfare. After a few months they'll all be rocket scientists
@GeckoEvaRepublican3mos3MO
Damn better ship 20k of them into small towns in America right quick
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