Gran Grif gang killed numerous people in an attack at Haiti’s Pont Sondé, official reports

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Armed bandits from the Savien gang have killed more than 50 people according to early estimates by a government official and injured dozens during an attack in the locality of the Pont Sondé, located in the commune of Saint-Marc in the Artibonite department of Haiti, on Thursday, Oct. 3. 

Many residents who are sending SOS calls to the police authorities to request help against the gang’s assault have fled their homes during this murderous invasion by the Gran Grif gang. The exact number of victims from Thursday’s attack is not yet known. 

Some injured individuals have been urgently transported to Saint-Nicolas Hospital. This new attack has created a state of panic in the Pont Sondé area and among the inhabitants of neighboring areas, such as Saint-Marc.

Local press reports that the Savien gang, notably Gran Grif, have completely taken control of Pont-Sondé since this morning. Hundreds of families fleeing the violence of the “Gran Grif” gang in Pont-Sondé are currently located in Philippe Guerrier public square in Saint-Marc.

The gangs continue to impose their reign of terror, while the authorities of the presidential transition council and the government led by Garry Conille keep promising the population a return to peace in the country. Meanwhile, the Savien bandits continue to kill and create an unprecedented climate of violence in the Artibonite Valley.

This year, gangs operating in the Artibonite department have launched several attacks against residents of various communes in the region. Among them, the gang Kokorat San Ras instilled terror in August in the communities of Rivière Blanche and Canifice in Gros-Morne, located about thirty kilometers north of Gonaïves. During these attacks, at least 10 people were killed, six were kidnapped, and several houses and farms were set on fire. 

In the end, the gang groups demanded $298 per household to allow residents to return or reclaim their homes.

These criminal groups make normal life impossible for the inhabitants, disrupting their daily activities and means of livelihood. In response to this gang violence, residents felt compelled to take to the streets again to protest and call on authorities to combat the gangs.

They criticize the national police for doing nothing to eradicate acts of banditry in the region. They explain that they can no longer carry out their daily activities due to the presence of Kokorat San Ras, which blocks roads and even occupies farmers’ passages to their fields. 

This situation creates major food insecurity for them in the department. 

The Gran Grif gang has resumed its attacks even though its leader, Luckson Elan, has just been sanctioned by the United States for his criminal activities. The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) affirms that Elan’s actions constitute serious violations of human rights related to gang activity in the Artibonite department of Haiti.

The United States, relying on the report from the UN expert group to sanction Elan and former Haitian parliamentarian Prophane Victor, states that “the levels of violence and the degree of cruelty that gangs are willing to reach to violate human rights are unprecedented.” They orchestrate regular and indiscriminate attacks against the population and obstruct humanitarian aid.

On September 27, the UN Security Council Committee, established by resolution 2653, added Victor and Elan to the list of individuals sanctioned by the UN in Haiti. Their names have been sent to INTERPOL in special notices, alerting the global police community about individuals and entities subject to sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council.

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