By Desmond Nleya, Daily Times
Suspected gang members were killed during an attack on the Petion-Ville neighborhood on the southern outskirts of Haiti’s capital, as a clash with police and locals pointed to a resurgence of vigilante justice while the state remains absent.
The latest outburst of violence comes as the political future of the crisis-racked Caribbean island nation hangs in limbo.
A Reuters reporter saw two suspected gang members including a leader known as Makandal killed and set on fire. Footage seen by Reuters earlier showed the bodies lying and being dragged on the street, one man with his hands cut off.
Radio RFM reported citing police sources that the local population had been involved in a shootout in Petion-Ville, located on the southern edge of the capital Port-au-Prince.
Almost a year ago, a group of Port-au-Prince residents lynched and set fire to around a dozen men believed to be gang members launching what became known as the Bwa Kale movement, a vigilante justice movement which rights groups say has sometimes been carried out with members of Haiti’s police.
POLITICAL VACUUM
Earlier on Wednesday, Le Nouvelliste reported at least 15 people had been killed in attacks around Petion-Ville, home to several upscale hotels as well as around a dozen embassies. Residents there barricaded themselves inside their homes while armed men had carried out fresh attacks east of the city.
Source: Reuters
