Haiti police arrest seven Kokorat San Ras gang members in minibus raid amid spiraling violence

GONAÏVES — Haitian National Police (PNH) in the Artibonite region presented nine men accused of being members of the Kokorat Rat San Ras gang during a press conference on Jan. 27, days after arresting them on the Gonaïves–Port-au-Prince route. The arrests, officials say, are part of efforts to combat escalating gang violence that has destabilized Haiti’s Artibonite region.

On Jan. 24, the PNH intercepted a minibus near Gonaïves carrying seven alleged members of Kokorat Rat San Ras. During the arrest, PNH members seized several Items including framed photos of the gang leader, Meyè, sneakers, and vehicle windows—artifacts the police claim indicate the suspects’ affiliation.

“These individuals were apprehended while traveling along a key route connecting Gonaïves to Port-au-Prince,” said Fequier Casseus, PNH spokesperson for Artibonite. 

Two additional suspects were arrested in the Morne Pilboro area for their alleged role in truck hijackings, Casseus added. The suspects, however, denied the allegations during the press conference.

 “We were merely passengers traveling from Port-au-Prince on the minibus,” one said.

The Artibonite region, home to Haiti’s agricultural heartland, has become a battleground between rival gangs vying for control. Groups like Kokorat Rat San Ras and Gran Grif have been linked to mass killings, arson, and kidnappings, leaving dozens dead and thousands displaced in recent months.

Artibonite region a history of terror, law enforcement struggles

The presentation of the suspects comes as Artibonite reels from a deadly Jan. 18 attack by the Kokorat Rat San Ras gang in the Gros-Morne section, which left 11 dead, including a pregnant woman, four injured, and several homes burned. The massacre highlights the region’s ongoing security crisis, with the armed groups terrorizing civilians and disrupting daily life despite the presence of international mission support for the PNH. Last year, Kokorat Rat San Ras massacred more than 70 people in Gros-Morne and Pont-Sondé and displaced entire communities in Terre-Neuve. PNH spokesperson explained that several deaths in Gros-Morne were tied to a land dispute in the Campeche area of Rivière Blanche’s third communal section.

The Gran Grif gang in the Savien locality has similarly left a trail of devastation. In December, armed bandits from the gang unleashed a wave of terror in the Petite-Rivière de l’Artibonite commune, killing more than 20 people, including women and children. In October, they massacred over 70 people in Pont-Sondé, many of whom were killed in their beds during the attack. Police forces eventually repelled the gang, though residents remain on edge.

The arrests are a rare bright spot for the PNH, which has faced criticism for its inability to stem gang violence. Limited resources have further complicated efforts to combat the gangs. While armored vehicles and patrols have been deployed to hotspots, many areas remain under gang control, with transport routes and aid deliveries severely disrupted.

“The police are intensifying efforts to regain control of the area, deploying patrols and armored vehicles,” the spokesperson Casseus said.

Editor’s Note: The senior reporter Juhakenson Blaise contributed to this article.

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