Residents of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, are experiencing growing levels of gang violence, and the situation has led people to fight the issue head-on with vigilante justice.
As a result, over a dozen suspected gang members were reportedly rounded up and executed before being set on fire.
Port-au-Prince Residents Banded Together & Served Up Vigilante Justice
According to AP News, residents of the Haitian capital city recently beat, killed, and burned numerous suspected gang members. The mob specifically took the suspected criminals from police custody to deliver justice themselves.
Video footage shows civilians banding together and taking a serious stand against the gang members, who are noted as having been responsible for numerous police killings in Haiti.
Group of civilians march against gangs in, I believe, the Juvenat neighborhood of Port-au-Prince this afternoon. #haiti pic.twitter.com/H9BpsGBFeq
— Michael Deibert (@michaelcdeibert) April 24, 2023
Residents of Turgeau/Pacot area of #Haiti's Port-au-Prince chasing heavily-armed gang members with rocks, machetes and a few side arms. These people are extraordinarily brave. pic.twitter.com/0DCkG9DH7Y
— Michael Deibert (@michaelcdeibert) April 24, 2023
Additional footage shows the suspected gang members being beaten and lumped together before being set ablaze. According to an on-site AP News journalist, thirteen bodies were seen burning in the street.
Une foule dans la capitale haïtienne a battu et brûlé à mort 13 membres présumés d'un gang avec des pneus imbibés d'essence lundi après avoir retiré les hommes de la garde à vue lors d'un contrôle routier, ont déclaré la police et des témoins. #Haiti pic.twitter.com/60PPqnxrJw
— Gérald DELISCAR-JOURDAN (@GDELISCAR) April 24, 2023
Confrontation between gang members & community of Kanapevè. #Haiti According to journalists, the locals stoned and burned 10 gang members. The struggle between communities, gangs and the police is leaving tens of thousands of families burned out of their homes & neighborhoods. pic.twitter.com/340k27om8m
— Danny Shaw (@dannyshawcuny) April 24, 2023
🇭🇹 A mob in the capital of #Haiti beat and burnt 13 suspected gang members to #death on Monday after pulling them from #police custody at a traffic stop.
Insecurity there has reached levels similar to countries at #war, according to a #UN report.
Story by @leomcguinn 👇 pic.twitter.com/jJxDsAapBa
— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) April 25, 2023
Haiti Has Faced Significant Struggles Since The Assassination Of President Jovenel Moïse
While on the subject, we should add that the increase in gang activity follows some significant shifts in Haiti.
On July 7, 2021, Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated at his home in Port-au-Prince. His wife, Martine Moïse, sustained gunshot wounds during the attack, though she thankfully survived.
RELATED: UPDATE: 4 Additional Suspects Charged In Connection With 2021 Assassination Of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse
Merely one month later, the nation — which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic — was rocked by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake.
In the aftermath of this catastrophe, Haitian migrants began flocking to the southern United States border, where they were infamously met with violence from whip-wielding Border Patrol agents in Texas.
Finally, we should add that — later that same year — a gang known as the “400 Mawozo” kidnapped 17 American and Canadian missionaries while visiting an orphanage. The criminal organization ultimately requested $17M to release all missionaries, as The Shade Room previously reported.
Now, AP News notes that gangs have now taken over at least 60% of the city.
There are no further updates to the situation at this time.
