An angry crowd has killed more than ten suspected gang members in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince. Police stopped a minibus with armed men in the Canapé Vert district on Monday and confiscated weapons, cartridges and mobile phones, they said on Facebook. Subsequently, passers-by lynched more than ten of the people from the bus, the police wrote.
Haitian media reported that the bodies of the approximately 14 killed had been burned. The residents were, therefore, because of the gang violence in the city under strong tension. According to videos on social networks, the victims arrested by the police were burned alive, at least in part. Some were doused with gasoline, others were put on a car tire filled with gasoline, which was then set on fire.
This was preceded by a night shootout in Canape-Vert in the metropolitan area of the capital Port-au-Prince, which forced hundreds of families to flee. The arrested gang members are said to have transported ammunition. "Set them on fire" and "We'll kill them" are said to have shouted the people when they saw the detainees transported in a bus.
At least 670 dead since October
Haiti has been suffering for years from the violence of gangs that are sometimes close to political actors and, according to UN figures, control a large part of the capital. The interim government, which has been in power since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, asked for help from an armed international force about half a year ago, which has not yet come.
According to a UN report on Sunday, nearly 14 people were killed in fighting between gangs in the Cité Soleil district between April 19 and 70 alone. The violence also restricts people's freedom of movement and the movement of goods. Many schools and health facilities were closed.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas. The Caribbean nation is experiencing a hunger crisis that has reached a critical point, according to the UN World Food Programme in March. In addition, there is a cholera outbreak that has killed at least 670 people since October, according to the latest figures from the Haitian Ministry of Health.