At least 70 killed, 30 wounded in Haiti gang attack, rights group says

Death toll provided by the Defenseurs Plus rights group significantly exceeds ⁠official estimates of 16.At least 70 people have been killed and 30 injured during an attack near Petite-Riviere in Haiti’s breadbasket Artibonite region, a human rights group said, significantly higher than ⁠official estimates, which put the death toll at approximately 16.Residents and officials told local media that the attack began in the early hours of Sunday in rural communities around Jean-Denis, and continued into the early hours of Monday, with gang members storming the area and setting homes on ⁠fire.The Defenseurs Plus rights group said it estimated that 6,000 people had been displaced by the violence. The United Nations estimated that more than 2,000 people had left their homes in the days before, following raids by armed gangs nearby.Police initially reported 16 dead and 10 injured, while a preliminary report from civil protection authorities said 17 had died and 19 were wounded, mostly men.A spokesperson for the UN secretary-general told a news briefing that the organisation’s office ‌in Haiti, BINUH, was closely monitoring the events and that estimates ranged from 10 to 80 people killed. He called for a thorough investigation.“The lack of a security response and the abandonment of Artibonite to armed groups demonstrate a complete abdication of responsibility by the authorities,” Defenseurs Plus said in a joint statement with the Artibonite" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="81143" data-entity-type="organization">Collective to Save the Artibonite.An audio message that circulated on social media was attributed to Gran Grif leader Luckson Elan. In the message, Elan appears to say the attack was a retaliation for attacks on the group’s base in Savien by a rival armed group.The Artibonite region, a key agricultural area, has seen some of Haiti’s worst violence. ⁠Gang conflict has extended beyond the capital, Port-au-Prince, despite more aggressive policing and promises of more foreign support ⁠for Haiti’s security forces.