A violent attack in Port-au-Prince, Haiti took the lives of at least 184 people over the weekend, highlighting the escalating instability in a nation already plagued by rampant gang violence.
The targeted attack primarily affected older residents in the Cité Soleil district, reportedly ordered by Monel “Mikano” Felix, the leader of the Wharf Jérémie gang.
The National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH) reported that Felix sought advice from a voodoo priest after the illness and subsequent death of his child on Saturday. The priest allegedly accused the elderly residents of the area of engaging in witchcraft. The RNDDH shared that “Felix ordered the killings, and at least 110 people aged 60 and older were slaughtered over the weekend, many with machetes and knives.”
Cité Soleil, one of the most densely-populated and impoverished districts in Port-au-Prince, has been a hotspot for violence for years. The recent massacre is one of the deadliest incidents in Haiti’s capital in 2024. Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, confirmed the death toll during a press briefing in Geneva, stating that the killings have brought the total gang-related deaths in Haiti in 2024 to at least 5,000.
“This is an appalling example of the brutality that has taken over large parts of the country,” Türk said, calling for the international community to provide greater aid to Haiti.
Amid ongoing political chaos that started after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, gang influence in Port-au-Prince and other regions has expanded. As per human rights groups, nearly 80% of the capital is currently under the control of armed criminal organizations.
The escalating violence has led to the suspension of international flights to Haiti. Prominent U.S. airlines, including American Airlines, JetBlue, and Spirit, have indefinitely ceased service to the country. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) initially enforced a 30-day ban in November following gang-related gunfire impacting commercial aircraft departing from Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince. The ban has since been extended until at least March 2025.
As a result of safety concerns, American Airlines has indefinitely suspended flights, with JetBlue and Spirit also ceasing operations. The only remaining commercial flights are run by a Haiti-based carrier, Sunrise Airways.
The flight suspensions have exacerbated Haiti’s transportation crisis, with gangs also controlling major roads, making internal travel extremely dangerous.
Thousands have been displaced by the violence in Cité Soleil, and conditions remain severe. Gang members have blocked vital streets and limited cell phone communication, restricting residents’ mobility.
“The insecurity has created a humanitarian crisis. Over 700,000 people in Haiti are now internally displaced, half of them children,” the UN reported. The gangs’ control over distribution routes has impeded relief efforts, leaving many without access to food, clean water, or medical care.
The Haitian authorities have committed to addressing the gang crisis. The government in a statement referred to the massacre as “monstrous crimes” and affirmed their determination to bring the culprits to justice. “We are mobilizing all available forces to annihilate these criminals,” officials stated.
However, efforts to curtail gang violence have so far been largely ineffective. A UN-backed Multinational Security Support Mission, led by Kenyan police, was deployed earlier this year but has struggled to make substantial progress.
The crisis has led to renewed appeals for international aid. Both the UN and Haitian officials have urged nations to step up efforts to curtail arms trafficking into Haiti, which has fueled the gangs’ expanding power. International watchdogs claim a majority of the firearms used by criminal groups are trafficked from the United States.
In October, the Gran Grif gang took responsibility for the killing of over 115 people in Pont-Sonde, a town situated in Haiti’s agricultural Artibonite region. The gang asserted that the attack was in retaliation against residents who had backed a local self-defense group in disrupting their road toll activities.
In a region already beset by deep-seated poverty and political instability, the weekend’s massacre has underscored the pressing need for action. Yet, for the inhabitants of Cité Soleil, the struggle for survival continues, with little prospect of immediate relief.
