Overview:
Human rights teams and worldwide actors condemned the killing of greater than 50 civilians in Labodrie, Arcahaïe district. They are saying Haiti’s state failed to guard its residents and denounced gang-led requires displaced residents to return. Authorities pledged safety measures after days of silence, whereas violence continues to unfold throughout the nation.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — Greater than 50 folks have been killed within the Labodrie bloodbath final week, human rights teams confirmed Tuesday, as nationwide and worldwide actors condemned the atrocity and urged motion in opposition to Haiti’s gangs.
The killings occurred Sept. 11 in Labodrie, Cabaret, a rural fishing group within the Arcahaïe district—about 20 miles north of Port-au-Prince, the capital metropolis. Victims included girls, kids and the aged. Witnesses mentioned survivors fled as attackers stormed houses, whereas a number of our bodies stay lacking or unrecovered — some reportedly devoured by stray canine.
On this context, the Nationwide Community for the Protection of Human Rights (RNDDH) highlights that the precise variety of human lives misplaced and houses destroyed within the Labodrie group continues to be unknown.
Survivors recounted that the Sept. 11 assault was ruthless and indiscriminate, putting households, together with kids and the aged.
The RNDDH denounced the bloodbath as additional proof of the hazards behind gang-led requires displaced residents to return to neighborhoods nonetheless beneath their management.
“Authorities consider that by abandoning the inhabitants to fend for itself in opposition to armed gangs, they’ll keep away from accountability,” RNDDH mentioned Tuesday. “Nothing may very well be farther from the reality. It’s the responsibility of the state — transitional or in any other case — to guard its residents, not armed teams with felony agendas.”
“The bloodbath that came about in Labodrie is a painful reminder of the precarious safety offered by the state in Haiti.”
César Marín, Campaigns Director of Amnesty Worldwide
Witnesses steered the rising violence in opposition to Labodrie might have been sparked by the sooner killing of a neighborhood Viv Ansanm gang chief in Cabaret, referred to as Vladimir. Native authorities reported that the bloodbath adopted a number of days of clashes between police and gang members making an attempt to take management of Arcahaïe, after their consolidation of energy in neighboring Cabaret on Sept. 6. Regulation enforcement and municipal brigades had pushed the gangs again, forcing them into Labodrie, the place residents have been accused of supporting the authorities.
Just like quite a few different bloodbaths prior to now, officers as soon as once more delayed their response, and worldwide our bodies condemned the bloodbath. Nonetheless, residents have been left unprotected, leaving many reeling.
The Haitian authorities remained silent for days after the Sept. 11 killings. It was solely on Sept. 15 that the Presidential Transition Council (CPT) formally addressed the bloodbath, in an official statement, pledging to deploy specialised police models, step up patrols in Arcahaïe and Cabaret and supply humanitarian help to victims’ households.
“The federal government reaffirms its willpower to revive peace and safety throughout the whole nationwide territory,” the assertion learn. “The gangs won’t ever be stronger than the Republic.”
Nonetheless, the lag in response — echoing earlier delays throughout waves of violence — has fueled criticism that the state reacts symbolically and too late, slightly than stopping mass killings or reclaiming gang-controlled territory.
Calls to return thought of misleading
The Sept. 11 bloodbath got here simply weeks after Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier, FBI-wanted alleged felony and chief of the Viv Ansanm gang coalition, urged displaced residents to return dwelling. In a report revealed Monday, RNDDH warned such calls are sometimes misleading, citing not less than 19 cases since 2019 the place alleged “peace offers” between gangs collapsed, resulting in renewed civilian massacres.
The group mentioned true peace requires dismantling felony teams, prosecuting perpetrators, compensating survivors and offering lasting safety for residents in affected areas.
Worldwide condemnations as violence spreads past Arcahaïe
Amnesty Worldwide condemned the bloodbath, calling it proof of the Haitian state’s incapability to guard its inhabitants.
“The bloodbath that came about in Labodrie is a painful reminder of the precarious safety offered by the state in Haiti,” mentioned César Marín, the group’s Campaigns Director for the Americas. “Fast measures have to be taken to make sure victims obtain actual safety and justice.”
The European Union Delegation and the embassies of France and Spain issued a joint assertion urging Haiti to create specialised judicial models to prosecute monetary and mass crimes.
The Secretary Basic of the Group of American States (OAS), Albert Ramdin, condemned the armed gang assault, aligning with the USA’ stance, which emphasised that after the bloodbath, Haitians and the worldwide group should work collectively to cease the “terrorist gangs” answerable for ongoing violence.
The USA, by its embassy in Port-au-Prince, additionally condemned strongly the mass killings, stressing that Haitians and worldwide companions should unite to dismantle what they known as “terrorist gangs.”
“Authorities consider that by abandoning the inhabitants to fend for itself in opposition to armed gangs, they’ll keep away from accountability. Nothing may very well be farther from the reality.”
Human rights community, RNDDH
On the UN on Sept. 13, Secretary-Basic António Guterres renewed calls for member states to speed up the deployment of the Multinational Safety Help Mission (MSS) with extra personnel, logistics and funding.
“The Secretary-Basic voiced his alarm on the ranges of violence rocking Haiti and urged the Haitian authorities to make sure that perpetrators of those and all different human rights abuses and violations are delivered to justice,” spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric mentioned.
Whereas officers issued statements, gang assaults continued elsewhere. On Sept. 15, armed teams killed a police driver and wounded two officers in Kenscoff, earlier than destroying the Liancourt police station within the decrease Artibonite Division and forcing officers to flee.
The Haitian authorities has doubled down on its rhetoric, declaring: “The State is not going to again down, and the Republic doesn’t negotiate with terror. No armed group will ever be stronger than the Nation.”
But for a lot of Haitians, the repeated cycle of massacres, delayed responses and renewed pledges underscores the hole between guarantees of safety and the realities on the bottom.
Timeline of main massacres by armed teams since 2018
- La Saline, Port-au-Prince (Nov. 2018): Not less than 71 killed in gang-led bloodbath. State response delayed; UN and rights teams condemned, however no main prosecutions.
- Bel Air, Solino, Savanne Pistache/Port-au-Prince (2020–2021): Collection of killings left dozens lifeless. Authorities promised inquiries, however impunity prevailed.
- Plaine du Cul-de-Sac (La Plaine, Avril-Could 2022): Greater than 200 killed in clashes led by the 400 Mawozo gang; authorities absent for weeks. Worldwide group issued statements, however little concrete assist adopted.
- Carrefour-Feuilles (Aug. 2023): Dozens killed; residents fled en masse. Officers vowed safety reinforcements, however gangs tightened their grip.
- Wharf Jérémie, Cité Soleil (Dec. 2024): Gang led by infamous chief Micanord “Wa Mikanò” Altès killed over 200.
- Pont-Sondé and different Artibonite areas (2024-2025), together with Gros-Morne, Terre-Neuve, La Chapelle, Liancourt and L’Estère: Gangs killed a whole bunch, pressured the displacement of hundreds and burned down houses and farms.
- Mirebalais & Saut-d’Eau (March 2025): Coordinated gang assaults killed scores, displacing hundreds. The federal government condemned violence however didn’t reclaim territory.
- Labodrie, Arcahaïe (Sept. 2025): Over 50 folks and counting killed.
Sample: Every bloodbath follows the identical cycle — killings, delayed authorities statements or no response, worldwide condemnation and renewed guarantees of motion — with little change on the bottom.