Gunmen belonging to a gang called "Gran Griff" have shot at least 70 people with automatic weapons in passing through a Haitian town, a spokesman for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said today, quoted by Reuters.
"We are horrified by yesterday's bandit attacks in the town of Pont-Sond in Haiti's Artibonite department," said Samin al-Hitan.
At least 16 people were seriously injured in the attack in the early hours of yesterday, according to the UN. The gang members reportedly torched at least 45 houses and 34 vehicles and forced people to flee their homes.
"This heinous crime against defenseless women, men and children is not only an assault against the victims, but also against the entire Haitian people," wrote on the social network "X" Prime Minister Gary Coney. "Security forces, supported by our international partners, will step up their intervention (to deal with this problem)", he promised.
In an audio message posted on social networks, the Tartor of "Gran Griff" Luxon Elan, who was sanctioned by the UN last month, said responsibility for the attacks lay with the state and the victims, and accused local residents of standing idly by as "his soldiers" were killed by the police and volunteer units.
Local media reported yesterday that thousands of Pont-Sond residents headed for the coastal town of Saint-Marc.
Pont-Sonde is a major center of rice production and is located in an area described as the granary of Haiti and located at an important crossroads between the capital Port-au-Prince and the northern parts of the Caribbean country, notes Reuters.