GONAÏVES — A deadly confrontation between rival gangs in the commune of L’Estère left a motorcycle taxi driver dead, while a separate attack on a Catholic school left three students critically injured, according to local authorities. The fatality occurred during a gunfight on Monday, October 21, between the Kokorat San Ras gang and the Coalition of L’Estère, plunging the community into chaos.
During the crossfire, Michelet Charles, 45, was transporting a student to school when he was fatally shot.
Three injured students were attending a Catholic school run by nuns when they were caught in the violence, police sources in Gonaïves told The Haïtian Times. According to police, gang members stormed the Catholic school to extort money from the nuns.
“When their demands weren’t immediately met, they began firing indiscriminately,” the source explained. The attack has sent shockwaves through the community, with parents fearful of sending their children back to school.
“The situation is heartbreaking—children in school, simply trying to learn, were wounded by stray bullets,” said L’Estère Mayor Mutal Lozen.
L’Estère, a rural community in the Artibonite department known for its rice and vegetable production, has become the latest battleground in Haiti’s escalating gang violence. For the past three years, the Kokorat San Ras gang has terrorized the local population, disrupting everyday life. Schools, markets, and public services have been paralyzed as gangs demand ransoms and exert control over key agricultural regions.
The Monday attack follows a disturbing pattern of increasing gang activity in Artibonite. Gonaïves and Saint-Marc have long been under siege by gangs like Kokorat San Ras and Gran Grif, located in another commune Pont-Sondé, known for violent tactics that include extortion, roadblocks, and attacks on schools and hospitals.
Despite the recent deployment of Kenyan police officers as part of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) to Haiti, the gangs continue to operate with impunity in rural areas like L’Estère. The national police have struggled to maintain control, particularly in agricultural hubs like Liancourt, Gros-Morne, and Terre-Neuve.
The situation remains tense, with locals demanding more protection.
“We have been abandoned to these criminals,” said Lozen. “For years, they’ve extorted residents and businesses, making life here impossible”.
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