A photographer saw 14 dead in Pétion-Ville and two residents told the agency they saw 10 bodies, unable to say under what circumstances these people were killed, but saying “armed bandits” had been spreading terror since dawn. Laboule and Thomassin, two neighborhoods in the commune of Pétion-Ville on the outskirts of the capital.
According to witnesses, gang members attacked a bank, a gas station and private homes.
Haiti, already in the midst of a severe political and security crisis, has been hit by a wave of violence since the beginning of the month, when several gangs joined forces to attack strategic points in Port-au-Prince as part of a crackdown. Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
The highly contested Henry, unable to return to his country after a trip to Kenya, announced his resignation a week ago, saying his government would manage events until an interim presidential council was put in place.
At an emergency meeting that same day with representatives from Haiti, the UN, and the United States, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and its partners tasked Haitian political parties and the country's private sector with building powers of transition.
But negotiations to create the seven-voting member body have been delayed, largely due to internal disagreements.
The UN Security Council is meeting behind closed doors today to discuss the situation in Haiti.