UN Report Details Massacre of Over 200 Vodou Practitioners in Haiti by Gang
The killings, driven by false accusations of witchcraft, highlight escalating gang violence and a deepening humanitarian crisis in Haiti.
- A UN report reveals that over 200 people, including elderly individuals and Vodou practitioners, were massacred by the Wharf Jeremie gang in Port-au-Prince between December 6 and 11, 2024.
- The gang's leader, Micanor Altès, reportedly ordered the attacks after blaming Vodou practitioners for his son's illness and death.
- Victims were forcibly taken from their homes and a Vodou temple, interrogated, and executed using guns and machetes, with bodies burned or dismembered to destroy evidence.
- The massacre underscores the growing power of gangs in Haiti, where over 5,350 people have been killed in gang-related violence in 2024 alone, according to the UN.
- The UN and Haitian government have condemned the killings, calling for justice and accountability, but the country’s weakened institutions struggle to address the escalating crisis.
Associated Press 