UN Records Death Toll Due To Massacre By Haitian Gang Groups Of More Than 200 People

Illustration of the Haitian police. (Wikimedia Commons/Cristian Borquez)

JAKARTA - The United Nations said the death toll from the gang massacre in Haiti's slum areas was increased by more than 200 people.

In a report on Monday, the United Nations said at least 207 people were killed by members of the Wharf Jeremie gang in the Cite Soleil area, Haiti, earlier this month, after previously mentioning the death toll of 187 people.

In a recent report, the United Nations High Commissioner's Office for Human Rights said at least 134 men and 73 women, most of whom were elderly citizens accused of witchcraft, died in less than a week after mass executions, kidnappings and raids by some 300 members of the Wharf Jeremie gang.

Monel's gang leader "Mikano" Felix ordered the attack after his son fell ill, accusing local residents of causing the disease through Voodoo. Many victims were kidnapped from the Voodoo temple and religious ceremonies, the United Nations said.

According to the United Nations, Mikano's gang has controlled a small but strategic area between the main ports, the surrounding warehouses and national highways outside the capital for about 15 years.

After the murder, gang members tried to delete evidence by confiscating cell phones, burning bodies and throwing them into the sea.

The killings shocked the Caribbean nation, which has been hit by a gang conflict that is getting worse, exacerbating severe food shortages, while neighboring countries were late in providing the long promised security assistance.

More than 5,300 people have been killed in Haiti since January and more than 12,000 since early 2022, according to the United Nations, while more than 700,000 people have fled domestically.