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At least 70 people including children have been killed after an armed gang attacked a small town in Haiti.<\/p>\n
Sixteen people were seriously injured, according to the UN, as Gran Grif gang members rampaged through Pont-Sond\u00e9 in the central Artibonite region about 71km (44 miles) north-west of the capital Port-au-Prince.<\/p>\n
Video footage shows groups of people fleeing the violence on motorbikes and on foot. A government prosecutor described the attack as “a massacre”, reported the Associated Press.<\/p>\n
Armed gangs have taken control of large parts of Haiti and a UN-backed policing mission, led by officers from Kenya<\/a>, began in June in an attempt to wrest back control.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gang members reportedly “set fire to at least 45 houses and 34 vehicles”, the UN has said.<\/p>\n Gran Grif is said to be one of the most violent of Haiti’s gangs. In January 2023 its members were accused of attacking a police station near Pont-Sond\u00e9 and killing six officers. It is also blamed for forcing the closure of a hospital serving more than 700,000 people.<\/p>\n The gang has about 100 members and has been accused of crimes including murder, rape, robberies and kidnappings, according to a UN report cited by AP. Both its founder and current leader are subject to US sanctions.<\/p>\n Thursday’s gang rampage comes almost a month after the Haitian authorities expanded a state of emergency<\/a> to cover the whole of the country.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Garry Conille has vowed to crack down on the gangs, with the UN saying a “robust use of force” is needed.<\/p>\n It has approved the policing mission made up of 2,500 officers from various countries – including 1,000 pledged by Kenya. <\/p>\n Their deployment has been authorised for one year, with a review to be held after nine months.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n