A group of people in Haiti shot and killed at least seven individuals who were participating in a large protest organized by a church leader.
Many people from the church, some carrying large knives, walked together through a neighborhood near the main city, Port-au-Prince, trying to remove gangs from the area.
The group is said to have shot at them with powerful guns.
There has been a big increase in gang violence in Haiti, and more than 2,400 people have been killed just in 2023.
People are worried that more people could die from the shooting that happened on Saturday. Some people were hurt and others were taken away.
According to Reuters news agency, videos on social media show people getting shot on the street, dead bodies on the ground, and hostages who were unaware that the protest was turning violent against the gang.
The protest occurred in the outskirts of Canaan, a place that was built by people who had survived a very destructive earthquake in 2010.
The area called Canaan is ruled by a gang led by a man named “Jeff”, who is believed to be working with another gang called the 5 Seconds gang.
Gédéon Jean, who runs the Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights in Haiti, said he saw the event happen on the internet and wants the Ministry of Justice to look into it.
He blamed the pastor who planned the march for not being responsible because he got a group of people involved and put them in a bad situation.
Mr Jean said that the police should have prevented them from going. “It’s really bad for the government to allow something like this to happen. “
For many years, Haiti has experienced a lot of problems. This includes a lack of stability, frequent disasters, and struggling economy. As a result, Haiti is now one of the world’s most impoverished and violent nations.
Since the killing of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, gang violence has greatly increased in Haiti. As a result, a large portion (around 80%) of the capital city is now under the control of these gangs.
Violent conflicts over land have caused more people to become refugees, shortages of food have become very serious, and there have been many killings, kidnappings, and sexual violence.
According to the spokesperson of the UN rights office, Ravina Shamdasani, from January to August 15th, at least 2,439 people from Haiti were killed, 902 were injured, and 951 were kidnapped.
In the middle of the increasing violence, Haitians have formed a group called “bwa kale” that is engaging in violent activities against people they believe are in gangs. According to the United Nations, more than 350 people have died since the uprising started in April.