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PoliticsHaiti

Haiti gang opens fire on pastor-led march, kills several

August 27, 2023

Protesters led by a pastor marched through a gang-controlled area near the capital. Rights groups reporting on the incident blamed the pastor for leading protesters into such a dangerous situation.

https://p.dw.com/p/4VcB8
A protester holds up a machete as a symbol of self-defense against gangs, during a protest against insecurity in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, Aug. 25, 2023.
Some of the protesters marching against the gang carried machetesImage: Odelyn Joseph/AP Photo/picture alliance

A powerful gang in Haiti opened fire on a pastor-led march through an area controlled by the gang near the capital Port-au-Prince, killing several of the marching parishioners.

The gang, which controls the northern Canaan suburb, fired at the protesters with machine guns. Local rights group CARDH said at least seven people were killed, with the group's director Gedeon Jean expecting the death toll to rise.

Jean said that several people were wounded, with some churchgoers even kidnapped.

What do we know about the march?

Videos shared on social media showed some 100 people marching in Canaan. Many of the protesters donned yellow shirts associated with Pastor Marco's religious group, while some were seen carrying sticks and machetes.

Journalists at the scene filmed the attack on the march in real time, Marie Yolène Gilles, director of human rights group Fondasyon Je Klere, told The Associated Press.

Unverified videos on social media showed people who appear to be hostages saying they thought the march was peaceful and were unaware it addressed the gang.

UN chief: Multinational force needed in Haiti

Who is responsible for the violence?

CARDH director Jean told The Associated Press news agency he intended to ask the Ministry of Justice to probe, accusing the pastor of irresponsibility because he "engaged a group of people and put them in a situation like this."

He argued that the protesters were no match for gang members with assault rifles.

"Police should have stopped them from going," Jean said. "It's extremely horrible for the state to let something like this happen."

Canaan is believed to be under the control of a man known as "Jeff," who is thought to be an ally of the "5 Seconds" gang.

Gangs have become more powerful in Haiti since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. They are believed to control up to 80% of the capital.

rmt/sri (AP, Reuters)