Gunmen have invaded another town north of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, shooting at residents and setting homes ablaze. This attack occurred just a week after a massacre that claimed at least 115 lives in the central region of the country. The casualties from the latest incident are not yet known.
In the coastal town of Arcahaie, residents called radio stations pleading for assistance, urging police to intervene and provide protection. Lionel Lazarre, deputy police spokesman, stated that officers were on-site and that authorities were implementing measures to enhance police presence in the area. “The police heard the people of Arcahaie shouting for help,” he remarked.
Reports indicate that the attack began before dawn, with gunmen firing indiscriminately and injuring several individuals while igniting fires in homes, particularly in the Vigner and Bercy neighborhoods. Local radio stations identified the attackers as members of the Canaan gang known as the Taliban, which comprises approximately 200 members and primarily operates in the northern sectors of Port-au-Prince.
Arcahaie lies between the capital and the central town of Pont-Sondé, where another gang, Gran Grif, is implicated in the recent mass killings. Gang violence has predominantly affected Port-au-Prince, which is now about 80% under gang control, but has increasingly spread to areas north of the capital, particularly in the central Artibonite region.