Police authorities confirmed Monday that a violent assault in the Haitian community of Petite-Riviere resulted in at least 16 fatalities and left 10 others wounded, as gang warfare continues to plague the nation’s crucial farming areas.
Civil protection officials on the ground provided preliminary casualty figures that were even higher, documenting 17 deaths and 19 people injured in the incident involving the Gran Grif gang.
Reports from regional news outlets indicated the deadly confrontation started within the Jean-Denis neighborhood of the community.
This latest outbreak of violence comes after United Nations officials documented that armed gang raids in the neighboring town of Verrettes recently forced more than 2,000 residents from their homes, causing people in Petite-Riviere to also abandon their residences.
The Artibonite department, which serves as Haiti’s primary agricultural hub, has experienced some of the nation’s most severe gang-related violence as criminal organizations expand their operations beyond the capital city of Port-au-Prince.
