Gangs demand hefty ransom for seized homes in Haiti’s rural Gros-Morne  

GONAÏVES — Since August 23, the Kokorat San Ras gang has established a reign of terror in the Rivière Blanche and Canifice communities of Gros-Morne, located about 20 miles north of Gonaïves in Haiti’s Artibonite department. This criminal group has made it impossible for residents to live normally, disrupting daily activities and livelihoods.

The gang’s violent actions stem from a dispute over a kidnapped 5-year-old girl, resulting in at least 10 deaths, six kidnappings, and several homes and farms set ablaze. Many families have been forced to flee, and the gang is now extorting residents, demanding $298 per household to allow them to return or reclaim their homes.

“The gangs invaded our communities, killing people indiscriminately, kidnapping many, and burning houses and farms,” said Eric Adena, the administrator of the Rivière Blanche communal section. “This fear and desperation are compounded by the gangs demanding 38,750 gourdes [USD$298] from each homeowner to reclaim their homes,” Adena told The Haitian Times.

He criticized Artibonite authorities for abandoning rural communities and failing to intervene against the gang’s activities, exacerbating people’s dire living conditions.

Gros-Morne is primarily an agricultural area known for producing mangoes—particularly the Mango Madan Fransik, which is exported mainly to the United States—along with avocados, sugar cane, corn, sorghum, beans, bananas, plantains, yams, and vegetables. The presence of the Kokorat San Ras gang, active for about three years, has turned the area into a conflict zone, severely affecting agricultural production.

“The violence has escalated, with bandits freely terrorizing civilians due to a lack of police intervention,” said local resident Adler Timothée, highlighting the insecurity and the community’s abandonment by the departmental police authorities.

The gangs have also targeted National Road 1 transport, using toll posts to extort money from passing vehicles. 

Mayor Hubert Sénéac of Gros-Morne noted that despite widespread insecurity, authorities have not ensured the safety of lives and property in the region.

“A commune of nearly 160,000 inhabitants does not even have 15 on-duty police officers. We are left at the mercy of the gangs. This is a travesty of catastrophic proportion,” the mayor said during a recent interview with The Haitian Times.

In response to government inaction, dozens of residents protested. Between Aug. 15 and Aug. 28, they organized two sit-ins outside the Toussaint Louverture police station in Gonaïves, Artibonite’s capital city, demanding action against the gangs.

Fed up, protesters threatened to take matters into their own hands while calling for the National Police’s support to eradicate the Kokorat San Ras and Gran Grif gangs in the department.

“We are tired and can’t wait any longer,” said demonstrator Jécosias Pierre, a political activist. “If the police can’t assume their responsibility to protect the population against these criminal gangs, we will soon start taking charge ourselves,” he threatened, referring to the potential for widespread vigilantism in the region.

Pierre accused police authorities of colluding with the gangs, allowing them to operate freely.

The Economic and Social Forum of Gonaïves Entrepreneurs (FESSPEG) also expressed concern about the gang’s impact on economic activities, urging authorities to take decisive action against banditry.

“The situation remains dire, with the Artibonite department struggling to address the insecurity that threatens its population and economic stability,” stated Remus Régis, president of FESSPEG.

The Artibonite department, alongside the West department, particularly the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, are the two regions in Haiti most infested by gangs. Aside from parts of its northern region, critical areas of lower Artibonite have fallen under gang control. In Port-au-Prince, gangs control over 80% of the territory.

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