Almost 200 Killed In Haiti As Gang Leader Targets Elders He Suspected Were Sickening His Child With Witchcraft

Close to 200 people were killed in the Haitian capital over the weekend after a gang leader ordered the butchering of elderly people he suspected of sickening his child, who ultimately died, through witchcraft.

The episode takes the overall death toll in the Caribbean country for the year above 5,000, according to the UN human rights chief Volker Turk.

"Just this past weekend, at least 184 people were killed in violence orchestrated by the leader of a powerful gang in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, in the Cite Soleil area," Turk said when discussing the incident.

Reuters detailed that Monel "Mikano" Felix, leader of a gang called Wharf Jeremie, ordered the murders in the area and that all people targeted were over 60 years old. No senior officials in the country have so far made reference to the killings.

Jeremie was reportedly advised by a voodoo priest who told him elders in the area, one of the poorest in the city, were responsible for the death of his child. All people were killed with machetes and knives.

Haitians are facing immense hardships, including gang-related violence, hunger, and a crumbling healthcare system. The U.N. reports that over 700,000 people are internally displaced, with children making up more than half of the displaced population.

2 million people in Haiti are at emergency levels of food insecurity. WFP's Country Director Wanja Kaaria said the agency is scaling up food deliveries amid surging needs but noted critical funding gaps in the U.N.'s $674 million humanitarian response plan, as reported by the Miami Herald.

Haiti's children are also at the heart of a worsening humanitarian crisis marked by hunger, displacement, and escalating violence that includes child soldiers. Over 1.5 million children have lost access to education, and many face growing risks of exploitation, including recruitment into armed gangs, UNICEF reported during a U.N. special meeting.

Gang recruitment of minors has soared by 70% in the past year, with children now making between 30% and 50% of gang members, according to the U.N.'s leading child welfare agency, UNICEF. Reports of sexual violence against children have risen by 1,000%, further underscoring the dire situation.