Around 180 mostly elderly people have been killed in Haiti after they were reportedly suspected of witchcraft.
Gang leader Monel “Mikano” Felix ordered the massacre in Cite Soleil – a densely populated slum in the capital Port-au-Prince – after his child became unwell, according to the National Human Rights Defence Network (RNDDH).
The boss of the Wharf Jeremie gang sought advice from a voodoo priest who accused older residents in the area of using witchcraft to harm the youngster who died on Saturday afternoon, the non-governmental organisation said.
At least 60 people were killed on Friday and 50 on Saturday in attacks involving machetes and knives, while all the victims were aged over 60, said the RNDDH.
The total number killed increased to around 180 on Monday, following a statement from the Haitian prime minister’s office.
“A red line has been crossed,” it said, adding it would “mobilise all forces to track down and annihilate” those responsible, including Felix, whom it accused of planning the attack.
RNDDH reported accounts from witnesses who said “mutilated bodies were burned in the streets, including several young individuals who were killed attempting to save residents”.
Cite Soleil, in the port area of Port-au-Prince, is among the poorest and most violent parts of Haiti.
Tight gang control, including the restriction of mobile phone use, has limited residents’ ability to share information about the massacre.
The government, struck by political infighting, has struggled to contain armed gangs’ growing power in and around the capital.
People have resorted to creating burning barricades to deter gang members from entering their neighbourhoods. File pic: AP
In October, at least 115 people were massacred in Pont-Sonde, a town around 60 miles north of Port-au-Prince.
The Gran Grif gang claimed it was retaliation for residents working with a self-defence group which was hindering their operations to secure money through road tolls.
Kenyan police have been deployed to boost security but are severely under-resourced. File pic: Reuters
The United Nations recently estimated around 300 people operated within Felix’s gang around nearby Fort Dimanche and La Saline areas of the capital.
In November 2018, La Saline was the site of the massacre of at least 71 civilians, while hundreds of homes were set on fire.
Read more from Sky News:
How rebels overthrew Assad’s regime
UK reduces support for Georgia
Arrest over killing of US healthcare boss
Haiti’s authorities have requested international support to bolster security but the United Nations mission, led by the Kenyan police, is severely under-resourced.
Local leaders have since called for the mission to be converted into a UN peacekeeping force, but the plan was opposed by China and Russia in the Security Council.
Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, gave a higher figure for the number killed in Cite Soleil, suggesting 184 people had died over the weekend.
“These latest killings bring the death toll just this year in Haiti to a staggering 5,000 people,” he added.