At least 70 people were killed and around 30 injured in a massacre near Petite-Rivière in Haiti’s Artibonite region, a local human rights organisation reported Monday, a toll significantly higher than official figures. Rights group Défenseurs Plus said the violence displaced about 6,000 people, while the United Nations mission in Haiti (BINUH) estimated more than 2,000 residents fled their homes amid the attacks.
Residents and local media described the assault by armed gangs in rural communities around Jean-Denis, which began early Sunday and continued into Monday, with homes burned and civilians targeted. Initial police reports had put the death toll at around 16, with civil protection authorities reporting similar lower figures.
A UN spokesperson said the organisation was “closely monitoring” the situation, with estimates ranging from 10 to 80 fatalities. The Defenceurs Plus group, joined by the Collective to Save the Artibonite, criticised the lack of an effective security response and called for a thorough investigation into the massacre.
An audio message circulating on social media was attributed to gang leader Luckson Elan, suggesting the attack was retaliation for actions by a rival armed group. The violence underscores Haiti’s deepening security crisis, where powerful gangs frequently challenge state authority and inflict harm on civilians.