Six months since a contingent of Kenyan police officers arrived in Haiti to lead the MSS Mission, a deadly gang massacre in the troubled nation has left hundreds of people dead.
The National Human Right Defense Network (RNDDH) on Sunday, December 8 reported that least 110 people were killed in a massacre over the weekend in Haiti’s Cite Soleil slum.
According to the network, the massacre happened when a gang leader targeted elderly people he suspected of causing his child’s illness through witchcraft.
The bloodshed came in the wake of reports that some Kenyans had submitted their resignation letters, a position that the Multinational Security Support Force Commander Godfrey Otunge denied.
The gang leader, known as Monel “Mikano” Felix, along with his Viv Ansanm group, were responsible for the massacre. Felix’s child died on Saturday afternoon, RNDDH said.
It was reported that after Mikano’s child became sick, he sought advice from a voudou priest who accused elderly people in the area of harming the child through witchcraft, triggering the gang leader to order the massacre.
More than 100 killed in Haiti
Gang members killed at least 60 and 50 people on Friday and Saturday respectively using machetes and knives, all of them aged over 60, RNDDH said.
Cite Soleil, a densely populated slum by the port of the capital Port-au-Prince, is among the poorest and most violent areas of Haiti.
The residents’ ability to share information about the massacre were limited by the tight gang control, including the restriction of mobile phone use.
Head of the Wharf Jeremie gang, Felix was in 2022 banned from entering neighboring Dominican Republic.
He is among feared gang members in the troubled nation who now hold 85% of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Also Read: MSS Mission Commander Clarifies Kenyan Police Resignations in Haiti
It is estimated that there are up 200 gangs whose members add up to 15,000 collectively. More than 580,000 people have been left homeless as a result and the number continues to rise by the day.
The Kenya-led Haiti MSS mission hangs in the balance, as powerful gangs in the nation have proven extremely difficult to overcome, according to the latest reports.
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Last week, Port-au-Prince witnessed heavy gunfire as Kenya police and other allied forces engaged gangs in one of the bigger battles this year.
Kenyan police officers alongside their counterparts from the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad and Jamaica have been cooperating in a bid to re-capture the violence-ravaged capital of Port-au-Prince.
Kenya leads MSS mission
Despite initial positives during the early stages of the mission, the gangs have continued to fight back with unprecedented aggression, leaving soldiers, including the Kenyan contingent, overwhelmed at times.
Also Read: Inside Ruto and U.S Haiti Military Agreement
Also, Kenyan police in Haiti have faced another major challenge of lack of funding and inadequate personnel, prompting calls for a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission.
The mission is grappling with significant funding challenges which experts argue have hindered progress.
Initially, the mission was targeted to cost $600 million.
On Tuesday, November 12, the United States of America suspended flights to the capital of Port au Prince after gangs shot three planes.
UN said flights to the capital city, including those facilitating humanitarian aid, would be halted as a precautionary measure amid the alarming resurgence of gang activities.
Already, 4500 people have been killed this year, with a further 2060 injured, according to a report by the United Nations.
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