2024 Cité Soleil massacre
| 2024 Cité Soleil massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of Gang war in Haiti | |
| Location | Cité Soleil, Port-au-Prince, Haiti |
| Date | December 6–11, 2024 |
| Target | Elderly practitioners of Haitian Vodou |
Attack type | Stabbing |
| Weapons | Machetes, knives, firearms |
| Deaths | 207[1] |
| Perpetrator | Wharf Jeremie gang |
| Gang war in Haiti |
|---|
| Background |
| Battles |
| Attacks |
On 6 and 11 December 2024, the commune of Cité Soleil in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was the site of a massacre perpetrated by a gang controlling the area of Wharf Jeremie, leaving at least 207 people dead according to the U.N.[1][2][3] Elderly Haitian Vodou practitioners were reportedly the primary targets.[2]
The death toll of 207 fatalities, if confirmed, makes the massacre the most deadly gang incident in Haiti in 2024.[4]
Attack
[edit]According to the National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH), Monel "Mikano" Felix, leader of the Wharf Jeremie gang, ordered the attack on elderly practitioners of Haitian Vodou after a Vodou priest blamed the terminal illness of Felix's son on witchcraft conducted in the slum of Cité Soleil.[5] On Friday, 6 December 2024, gang members affiliated with Felix killed at least 60 people, and more than 50 individuals were killed the following day when Felix's child died.[6][5][4] The killings were carried out with machetes, other knives, and firearms.[5][4] At least 127 of the victims were elderly (over 60 years of age), although local witnessed attested that some younger people who attempted to intervene with the attacks were also killed.[7][8]
International news of the massacre did not emerge until 8 December 2024, which RNDDH blamed on heavily restricted internet access in gang-controlled areas of Port-au-Prince.[6]
Responses
[edit]The Haitian government called the massacre an act of "unbearable cruelty".[5] The prime minister's office promised to "mobilize all forces to track down and annihilate" the responsible parties.[7] UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the government to "conduct a thorough investigation and ensure that perpetrators of these and all other human rights abuses and violations are brought to justice".[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "UN raises death toll for recent Cite Soleil massacre in Haiti's capital". Al Jazeera. 2024-12-23. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
- ^ a b Robles, Frances (8 December 2024). "Massacre in Haiti's Capital Leaves Nearly 200 Dead, U.N. Says". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
- ^ Sanon, Evens; Coto, Dánica (2024-12-09). "A gang leader in Haiti is accused of massacring older people to avenge his son's death". Associated Press. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
- ^ a b c Buschschlüter, Vanessa (2024-12-09). "Haiti gang kills 110 people leader accused of witchcraft". BBC. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
- ^ a b c d e "Haiti gang kills 184 people over witchcraft accusation, UN says". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
- ^ a b Isaac, Harold (8 December 2024). "Haiti Gang Massacres at Least 110 People in Cite Soleil, Rights Groups Says". Reuters. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- ^ a b Isaac, Harold (2024-12-09). "Haiti gang massacres around 180 people, targeting elderly". Reuters.
- ^ "Almost 200 massacred in Haiti as Vodou practitioners reportedly targeted". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 2024-12-09. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
- 2024 in Haiti
- 2024 murders in North America
- 21st century in Port-au-Prince
- 21st-century mass murder in North America
- Deaths by firearm in Haiti
- Deaths by stabbing in Haiti
- December 2024 crimes in North America
- Haitian crisis (2018–present)
- Massacres in 2024
- Massacres in Haiti
- Mass stabbings in North America
- Religiously motivated violence
- Stabbing attacks in 2024
- Knife attacks in North America