Gunmen have invaded another town north of Haiti’s capital, just a week after a massacre killed at least 115 people in the country’s central region. The number of casualties from this latest attack was not immediately known.
Residents in the coastal town of Arcahaie made desperate pleas for help on radio stations, urging authorities to intervene and save them from the violence unfolding. Lionel Lazarre, deputy police spokesman, confirmed that officers were present at the scene and that security measures were being implemented to reinforce their presence in the area.
Reports from Radio Télé Monopole detailed that the gunmen launched their attack in Arcahaie before dawn, firing shots and causing injuries as they set ablaze homes, particularly in the Vigner and Bercy communities. Several radio stations identified the perpetrators as a gang known as the Taliban, based in the Canaan area with an estimated 200 members, primarily active in the northern part of the Port-au-Prince capital.
Arcahaie is positioned between Haiti’s capital and the central town of Pont-Sondé, where another group, Gran Grif, was responsible for the mass killing that occurred just last week. While gang-related violence has been concentrated in Port-au-Prince, where 80% of the city is controlled by gangs, the unrest has been spreading northward in recent years, particularly affecting the central Artibonite region.
The targeted attack in Arcahaie serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing security challenges facing Haiti, with communities reeling from the recurring episodes of violence orchestrated by criminal gangs. Authorities are under pressure to address the root causes of the insecurity and to provide adequate protection for citizens who are increasingly living in fear for their safety and wellbeing.