UN condemns Haiti gang attack in Gros-Morne leaving 11 dead
At least 11 people were killed in a gang attack in Gros-Morne, Haiti, including four family members. UN Secretary-General Guterres has condemned the violence.
Eleven killed in Gros-Morne as UN urges stronger security response
At least 11 people were killed and several others injured in a gang attack in the third communal section of Gros-Morne, Haiti, on Monday, the Jamaica Observer reports. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the assault on Wednesday through his spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric.
Among the dead were four members of the same family, who were caught in a violent crossfire whilst transporting a sick woman to hospital. Three suspected members of the Kokorat San Ras armed gang were also fatally wounded during the incident.
Interim Mayor Hubert Cénéac said the bloodshed followed a confrontation between the Kokorat San Ras gang and a Sri Lankan contingent of the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) in the nearby Savane Longue communal section. Security forces had moved into the area to clear a stretch of the national road connecting the Northwest and Artibonite departments, where the armed group had established a checkpoint to extort drivers and passengers.
"This horrific attack is another reminder of the heavy toll that gang violence continues to take on Haitians living in areas under the control or just under the influence of armed gangs," Dujarric said. "It also underscores the urgency of strengthening security efforts in Haiti."
Dujarric called for the full deployment of the GSF, which operates in support of the Haitian National Police. He also stressed the need to address the broader drivers of violence and instability. On Monday, the United Nations Security Council voted to extend the GSF's mandate — covering a force of 5,500 personnel — for a further six months, as Haiti prepares for elections scheduled for December.
The UN human rights office recorded more than 3,000 deaths in Haiti between January and June of this year, Dujarric noted. He added that humanitarian partners continue to provide food, healthcare, psychosocial support and emergency cash assistance, but warned that needs consistently outpace available resources.
Haiti's Catholic Bishops, in a separate statement, said the country's "descent into hell causes us increasing alarm every day." They described the general situation as deteriorating, pointing to the advance of armed groups occupying neighbourhoods, a surge in kidnappings disrupting families and educational institutions, and what they characterised as a failure of governance to restore public order.
"The population has been left to fend for itself," the bishops said. "The horrific Kenscoff massacre remains fresh in everyone's minds, and the blood of the victims cries out to heaven for justice."
A gang attack on the farming community of Kenscoff on 23–24 August 2026 left at least 47 people dead, with some authorities putting the toll above 164, and dozens more kidnapped.
Source: Jamaica Observer