Amid the wave of violence that has engulfed Haiti for years, a group of residents of Pétion-ville in Port-au-Prince lynched members of the armed group Ti Makak on Tuesday (2).
The criminals were forcibly driven from the neighborhood, beaten, interrogated, and burned.
The bodies of four dead were scattered along the road leading to the house of former President Jovenel Moïse, who was assassinated in July 2021, and the fifth was left near a police station in the area.
“It’s terrible to be killed in front of the police. It shows that no one is safe, that anyone can be killed,” said Jean Marc Etienne, who witnessed the event.
This civil initiative launched a few weeks ago is part of Operation Bwa Kale.
It aims to end the armed gangs that are gaining a foothold throughout Haiti and terrorizing the population held hostage by their struggle to control the territory.
These civilian groups, led by youths, are taking to the streets armed with machetes, knives, and stones and conducting systematic searches in the towns of Stenio Vincent and Sergo, where most of these bandits are believed to be hiding.
They also set fire to tires soaked with gasoline.
What started as a one-time attempt to stop the violence has spread across the country over the days.
Over 100 criminals have been killed by the population, at least 18 of them alone in the last week.
Numerous accomplices of these armed groups have also been tracked down, drawing the population’s ire.
This organized response by society has led to a slight decrease in daily kidnappings but has not been enough to end the crime rocking Haiti.
According to UN figures, murders increased by 20% between January and March compared to the last quarter of 2022.
In the five months of 2023, there have already been 637 kidnappings, 63% more than last year’s end.