Dozens Of Haitian Gang Members Died, Their Bodies Burned By Residents

More than 20 people suspected of being gang members were killed in the Haitian capital after residents along with police resisted attempts to attack on hillbanks on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince.

The Petion-Ville outskirts were closed on Tuesday, November 19. when residents barricaded the streets and asked those who did not come from the area to stay at home.

Several residents carried machetes and hammers in their hands to protect the district from another gang invasion.

A Reuters reporter saw about 25 bodies in the Delmas neighborhood, Canape Vert and Petion-Ville, where residents burned the bodies of suspected criminals under the burning tires.

Deputy national police spokesman Lionel Lazarre told Reuters about 30 people he described as gang members were seriously injured throughout the day.

People are standing next to the Haitian National Police at this time. They will continue to work together," he said.

Lazarre previously told local radio police intercepted gunmen traveling in a van. Police also confiscated weapons such as a Kalashnikov rifle.

Local resident Anara said men and women had come since midnight armed with full weapons.

"We gave them a clear answer," he said. We will not give up this area, we will not go," he added.

Local newspaper Le Nouvelliste reported an "bwa kale" incident in several areas of the capital, referring to the judiciary movement that began in April last year, when residents carried out a courtless death penalty and burned people suspected of being gang members.

Haiti's underfunded national police have fired thousands of its members in recent years.

The United Nations has reported 149 "bwa kale" cases between June and September this year.