Gangs launched a new attack in Haiti’s capital early Tuesday, targeting an upscale community in Port-au-Prince where gunmen clashed with residents who fought side by side with police.
The attack in Pétionville was led by the group Viv Ansanm, whose leader, former elite police officer Jimmy Chérizierhad announced the plan in a video posted on social networks.
At least 28 suspected gang members were killed and hundreds of ammunition were seized, according to Lionel Lazarre, deputy spokesman for the Haitian National Police.
It was not immediately clear whether the police had prepared for the attack or had attempted to preventively protect Pétionville, given that Chérizier, who is also known as Barbecue, had announced plans to attack it. Lazarre did not respond to a message seeking comment.
Eyewitnesses told The Associated Press that residents were angry about the new gang attack on their community. They said some of the suspected gunmen were beheaded or had their feet cut off, while the bodies were placed in a pile and burned.
The attack, which began before dawn, began when two trucks carrying suspected gang members entered Pétionville. One of the trucks blocked the main entrance to the community.
Chérizier had threatened retaliation against the management and staff of any hotel in the area where politicians or “oligarchs” may have taken refuge. He also demanded the resignation of Haiti’s transitional presidential council and said the coalition would use “all its strength” against him.
Gunmen also attacked the neighboring community of Canapé Vert and other areas. Resident Richard Derosier said he heard gunshots and saw a man running with a large machine gun.
“I asked God, ‘Are you going to let them save my life?’” Derosier recalled.
The attack comes days after gang violence forced Haiti’s main international airport to close for the second time this year as the country named a new prime minister following political infighting.
Gunmen opened fire on a plane of Spirit Airlines on November 11, as it prepared to land, and injured a flight attendant. The shooting prompted the closure of the airport and several airlines temporarily canceled flights to Port-au-Prince. However, the United Nations said it hopes to resume its aid flights in Haiti on Wednesday.
gang violence has forced more than 20,000 people to flee Port-au-Prince in recent days, according to the United Nations. They join more than 700,000 people who have been left homeless in recent years due to violence.
Viv Ansanm is also responsible for a series of coordinated attacks that began in late February, targeting government infrastructure. Gunmen attacked police stations, opened fire at the main international airport, forcing it to close for almost three months, and raided Haiti’s two largest prisons, freeing more than 4,000 inmates.
The gangs control 85% of the capital and have launched attacks on previously peaceful communities in recent weeks to try to gain control of more territory.
The attacks have escalated since the arrival in June of Kenyan police leading a U.N.-backed mission to quell violence in Haiti. On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said through his spokesman that he was “alarmed by the escalation of violence” as he urged financial and logistical support for the mission.
The U.S. government has been pushing for a U.N. peacekeeping force to replace the Kenyan-led mission because it lacks funding and personnel.
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