Violence continues in Haiti. Several people died on Saturday while protesting against the control of a gang in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, adding to the 2,500 individuals killed since the beginning of 2023.
Several members of a Haitian evangelical church, who were protesting with their leader against the control of a gang in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, were killed by gunfire on Saturday, August 26, according to the police, who also reported that others were abducted or injured.
Relatives of the victims of an anti-gang march express their anger in Port-au-Prince on August 27, 2023 © Odelyn Joseph, AP
The official death toll is not known, as the area is controlled by the Canaan gang, one of the armed groups operating in many neighborhoods of the Haitian capital.
The march had been organized by Pastor Marco Zidor, the leader of the Bethesda Pool Evangelical Church. The man, who presents himself as a healer, had gathered his followers, some carrying machetes or sticks, to march towards the area controlled by members of the Canaan gang. However, upon the arrival of the crowd, the gang opened fire with automatic weapons. Videos released by the gang show numerous bodies lying on the ground.
“Arsenal of war”
Contacted by AP, a representative of the Bethesda Pool Evangelical Church briefly stated that they were “not able to provide information at the moment”.
The Haitian National Police has opened an investigation and on Monday condemned a “regrettable tragedy,” stating that they had tried to prevent the bloodshed.
“The police had taken measures by establishing security perimeters to prevent the participants from reaching their destination, and engaged in negotiations to convince the organizers not to continue with this endeavor to avoid a massacre by the bandits who possess an arsenal of war,” the police said in a statement. “However, the protesters bypassed the security measures established by the law enforcement forces and still arrived in the desired areas to confront the members of the said gang,” it continued.
According to the police, the confrontation “resulted in deaths by gunfire and several injuries among the protesters. Some followers are even being held captive.”
Pastor Marco Zidor, whom residents blame for leading his followers to their deaths, was summoned on Monday to the courthouse by Government Commissioner Roosevelt Zamor, the equivalent of a prosecutor in Haiti.
The Je Klere Foundation, a human rights defense organization, called for justice to take action against those responsible, reminding that “incitement to violence in pastoral speeches is a criminal act provided for and punished by the Haitian Penal Code.”
With AP