PORT-AU-PRINCE – Gangs launched a fresh attack on Haiti’s capital early Tuesday, targeting an upscale community in Port-au-Prince where gunmen clashed with residents who fought side-by-side with police.
The attack on Pétionville was led by the Viv Ansanm group, whose leader, former elite police officer Jimmy Chérizier, had announced the plan in a video posted on social media.
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At least 28 suspected gang members were killed and hundreds of munitions seized, according to Lionel Lazarre, deputy spokesman for Haiti’s National Police.
It was not immediately clear if police had prepared for the attack or tried to preventively protect Pétionville given that Chérizier, who is also known as Barbecue, had announced plans to attack it. Lazarre did not return a message for comment.
Eyewitnesses told The Associated Press that residents were angered by yet another gang attack on their community. They said some of the suspected gunmen were decapitated or had their feet cut off, while bodies were placed in a pile and set on fire.
The pre-dawn attack began when two trucks carrying suspected gang members entered Pétionville. One of the trucks blocked the main entrance to the community.
Chérizier had threatened reprisals against the management and staff of any hotels in the area where politicians or “oligarchs” may have taken refuge.
Gunmen also attacked the neighboring community of Canapé Vert and other areas. Local resident Richard Derosier said he heard gunfire and saw a man running around carrying a large machine gun.
“I asked God, ‘Are you going to let them save my life?’” Derosier recalled.
The attack comes days after gang violence forced Haiti’s main international airport to shut down for the second time this year as the country swore in a new prime minister following political infighting.
On Nov. 11, gunmen opened fire on a Spirit Airlines plane as it prepared to land, wounding a flight attendant. The shooting prompted the airport to close and several airlines to temporarily cancel flights to Port-au-Prince.
Gang violence has forced more than 20,000 people to flee Port-au-Prince in recent days, according to the United Nations.
Viv Ansanm is also responsible for a series of coordinated attacks that began in late February targeting key government infrastructure. Gunmen attacked police stations, opened fire on the main international airport, forcing it to close for nearly three months, and raided Haiti's two biggest prisons, releasing more than 4,000 inmates.
Gangs control 85% of the capital and in recent weeks have launched attacks in previously peaceful communities to try and gain control of even more territory.
The attacks have escalated since police officers from Kenya, who are leading a U.N.-backed mission to quell violence in Haiti, arrived in late June.
The U.S. government has been pushing for a U.N. peacekeeping force to replace the Kenyan-led mission because it lacks funds and personnel.