A mob in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, beat and burned to death 13 suspected gang members on Monday after they were detained by police. The situation in the Haitian capital is one of extreme insecurity, with criminal gangs controlling approximately 60% of the city since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021.
In another episode, six other burned bodies were found in a nearby neighborhood later the same day, and some witnesses said they were killed by police and then set on fire by neighbors, but the AP agency could not verify that version.
The Haitian National Police explained in a brief statement that agents from the Canape Vert section stopped and searched a minibus looking for contraband early Monday morning and confiscated weapons from the suspects before they were “unfortunately lynched by members of the population.” . The statement did not elaborate on how the crowd was able to take the suspects away.
A witness who gave his name as Edner Samuel told the AP that the mob led the suspected gang members away from police, beating and stoning them before putting tires on them, pouring gasoline on them and burning them. An AP reporter at the scene saw 13 bodies burning in a street.
The fire drew hundreds of onlookers in the city’s mountainous suburb, many holding their noses from the fumes. The Canape Vert neighborhood has so far managed to evade the control of criminal gangs.
Samuel said the suspects were believed to be heading to another area to join a group of gang members who were fighting police. Another witness, Jean Josue, said that many shots had been heard in the area since early morning. The situation in the capital on Monday was tense and shots were heard in several neighborhoods.
The other incident took place in the area around the Turgeau incident, a few minutes’ drive from Canape Vert, where witnesses said police had killed six suspected gang members in a shootout and that neighbors dragged the bodies from where they fell in the middle of the street and were set on fire. An AP reporter saw the six bodies burned. Police did not issue a statement about the violence in Turgeau.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry tweeted that his government expresses its condolences to police officers injured in recent operations. “I applaud the considerable and meritorious efforts of the National Police to restore order and peace in our cities and neighborhoods,†he tweeted. “There is still much left to do”.
Witnesses in Canape Vert said the suspects are believed to be members of the Kraze Barye gang, which translates to “Breaking Barriers”. Authorities say the group is led by Vitel’Homme Innocent, accused of helping to kidnap 17 American missionaries in October 2021 and also linked to Moïse’s murder.
