News Americas, New York, NY, December 10, 2024: Haiti is facing one of its most brutal massacres in recent memory after more than 180 people were killed in Cité Soleil, a poverty-stricken area of Port-au-Prince, over the weekend in what is being described as a “killing voodoo”.
According to the United Nations and local human rights groups, the killings were prompted by claims of Voodoo-related witchcraft and carried out by gang members under the orders of a local leader. The National Network for the Defense of Human Rights, (RNDDH), reported that the massacre was orchestrated by Monel Felix, also known as King Micanor, after a priest told him that Voodoo had caused his son’s fatal illness. The killings, which began on Friday night at Wharf Jérémie, targeted older Voodoo practitioners, with nearly 130 of the victims aged over 60. The slaughter, described as a personal vendetta, involved machetes and knives, and many bodies were burned or thrown into the sea. , according to eyewitnesses and rights organizations.
The violence underscores Haiti’s deepening crisis as rival gangs continue to terrorize communities with impunity. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called the killings a reflection of the country’s “accelerating spiral into the abyss”. Rights groups noted that the lack of a police presence in gang-controlled areas such as Wharf Jérémie delayed the reporting of atrocities.
Residents of Cité Soleil described horrific scenes, with entire families killed in their homes. “In some houses, five or six people were killed,” said one resident, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals. RNDDH also noted that youths, including motorcycle taxi drivers who were trying to help others escape, were among the victims.
Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé condemned the massacre, calling it a “direct attack on humanity and republican order”. He vowed that the government would use “every resource” to bring those responsible to justice. However, the government’s capacity to act remains limited, with gangs controlling large parts of the capital and other regions.
Violence in Haiti has claimed more than 5,000 lives this year and displaced more than 700,000 people, according to the United Nations. Despite the presence of a UN-backed Multinational Security Support Mission, made up mainly of Kenyan police officers, gang violence has continued unabated.
International human rights advocates are calling for increased resources and expanded operations for the Kenyan-led mission, including its transition to a formal UN peacekeeping operation. However, resistance from veto-wielding countries such as Russia and China in the UN Security Council has stalled the proposal.
The massacre underscores Haiti’s urgent need for stronger international support to address the escalating gang crisis and protect vulnerable communities. As violence escalates, calls for global intervention grow louder.
