Gang members massacred at least 47 people and injured about 22 others after gunning down people inside a church in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Dozens more were kidnapped, many of them children, the United Nations and Amnesty International reported. The incident is thought to be one of the largest mass abductions in the nation in recent years.
The church, located outside Haiti’s capital city, was offering shelter for displaced people when marauders attacked Aug. 23, burning surrounding homes and slaughtering animals. Reports say that many people were murdered “execution-style.” The dead include five children. Among the torched buildings was a worship center owned by the evangelical Church of the Ark of the New Covenant.
‘I will kill all of them’
Johnson “Izo 2” Andre, one of the nation’s most powerful gang leaders, claimed responsibility for the attack. He shared a video depicting almost 20 hostages and warned that he would kill them if law enforcement attempted to intervene. “If any of our soldiers are hurt, I will kill all of them,” he said.
Massillon Jean, the mayor of Kenscoff, reported that the perpetrators were members of the Viv Ansanm gang coalition, an umbrella group of violent gangs that have taken control of most of the capital city. The U.S. has designated the group as a “transnational terrorist group.”
Jean called the night of the attack “a night of terror.” The violence reportedly began around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday and carried into Monday. The death toll could continue to rise as more information is gathered, the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti told France 24.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Hannah Davis and originally published by Decision Magazine. It is used here with permission.
