No fewer than 20 people, including children, have been killed after an armed gang attacked a small town in Haiti.
Another 50 people were injured as Gran Grif gang members rampaged through Pont-Sondé in the central Artibonite region, around 71 kilometres (44 miles) northwest of the capital Port-au-Prince.
Video shows people escaping the carnage on motorcycles and feet.
The attack was described as “a massacre” by a government prosecutor, according to the Associated Press.
Armed gangs have taken control of large parts of Haiti, and a UN-backed policing mission, led by officers from Kenya, began in June in an attempt to wrestle back control.
The precise number of those killed in the incident is unknown; local media reported more than 50 deaths, while a Haitian human rights group estimated 20 or more, according to the Associated Press.
Gran Grif is said to be one of Haiti’s most violent gangs. In January 2023, its members were accused of storming a police station near Port-Sondé and killing six cops.
It is also accused of forcing the shutdown of a hospital servicing more than 700,000 people.
According to a UN report quoted by AP, the gang has approximately 100 members and has been charged with crimes such as murder, rape, robbery, and kidnapping.
Both its founder and current leader are subject to US sanctions.
The recent gang rampage in Haiti comes nearly a month after the country was declared a state of emergency.
Prime Minister Garry Conille has vowed to crack down on the gangs, and the UN has approved a policing mission of 2,500 officers from various countries, including 1,000 from Kenya.
The deployment is authorised for one year, with a review after nine months.
