At least 42 people were killed by armed gangs in northern Port-au-Prince

Santo Domingo.- At least 42 people were killed in Laboderie, first section of the municipality of Arcahaie, about 40 kilometers north of Port-au-Prince, during a bloody attack perpetrated by the Viv Ansanm armed coalition. The information was confirmed this Friday by the local authority, Baptiste Joseph Louis, who specified that the event occurred yesterday. Repelled by elements of the National Police and local self-defense brigades, the attackers returned to Laboderie to commit the massacre, added Joseph Louis. The bodies were abandoned at the scene, some devoured by dogs, while many survivors fled, according to the local authority. The NGO Collectif Défenseurs Plus denounced today, after the massacre, a “new wave of deadly violence” and demanded the State’s responsibility. The organization expressed its deep concern about the massacres perpetrated against civilians.  «On September 11, 2025, in the commune of Cabaret, about 40 people were executed in retaliation for the death of the gang leader ‘Vladimir’ and other members of his group, who died during a confrontation with law enforcement on September 7,» added the entity.

Attacks and Fires in Port-au-Prince

In addition to the massacre, the bandits set fire to several houses and other property of the inhabitants of this town, the organization said. “These executions, committed without discernment, reflect a barbaric logic of revenge against a defenseless population tolerated by state authorities,” he affirmed.

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On the other hand, the Defensores Plus Collective claims to have observed an alarming spread of violence in several regions of the country, particularly in the departments of the West, Artibonite and the Center. In the Lower Artibonite, gangs are intensifying their attacks to control roads and communications. Since the beginning of 2025, the Center department has registered an increase of more than 100% in the number of internally displaced persons as a result of the violence in the municipalities of Mirebalais and Saut d’Eau, the Collective assured.

International Support

The metropolitan region of Port-au-Prince continues to be the epicenter of terror, marked by kidnappings, summary executions and other forms of violence against the civilian population, in the face of the indifference of the state authorities, the NGO affirms.

“The population lives in a state of constant fear, with restricted access to health, food, education, and transportation in areas controlled by armed groups,” said Defensores Plus in a statement.

“The Labodrie tragedy illustrates violence fueled by impunity and the absence of the State. Haiti needs an urgent and coordinated national and international response to curb the violence of armed groups,” the organization suggested. On Thursday, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Albert Ramdin, underscored the unity demonstrated by the 32 member states after supporting a renewed security mission for Haiti to replace the current one, whose mandate expires next October. “This demonstrates hemispheric solidarity and unity, and for me it is especially important because I have always hoped that this organization can be valuable working together,” Ramdin declared at a press conference in which they showed support for the security mission.