Violence in Haiti

Sources: At least 50 killed in gang attack on village in Haiti

At least 50 people have been killed by members of self-proclaimed "defense groups" in the village of Préval in central Haiti, sources told the EFE news agency according to TT.

According to a local human rights organization, around 30 of the bodies have been found - some decapitated and burned. More than 20 bodies are still missing, as the area is still controlled by criminal groups.

The gang is said to have invaded the village on Friday afternoon and set fire to several houses. The massacre is described as a revenge attack after a gang member was killed earlier this week.

Haiti asks for emergency aid in the fight against gangs

The Haitian government is appealing for urgent international support to stop the armed gangs that control large parts of the capital Port-au-Prince and threaten to take over the entire country, writes Reuters.

“Haiti is on the verge of being completely controlled by criminal gangs, and that must not happen. We need the help of the international community – desperately,” Defense Minister Jean-Michel Moise said during a meeting with the Organization of American States (OAS) this week.

At the same time, the United States is signaling that it will not continue to fund the current UN-backed operation, which is led by Kenya and described as underfunded and ineffective.

OAS advisers are proposing that the operation be transformed into a formal UN peacekeeping force – something Haiti has long requested but has been blocked by China and Russia.