PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – A pastor led hundreds of churchgoers in an armed march against a local gang, resulting in multiple deaths and kidnappings.
The incident unfolded over the weekend in the community of Canaan, located north of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.
Police Chief Frantz Elbé confirmed the grim outcome in a press conference on Monday, August 28, 2023.
According to Elbé, Marcorel Zidor, the religious leader of the group, led the march and was accompanied by unidentified individuals in olive-green attire, carrying assault rifles.
The marchers, armed with machetes and sticks, moved towards the community to dislodge it from the control of a powerful gang known by the name of its leader, “Jeff,” who is also an ally of another gang known as “Five Seconds.”
The police had warned the church group against their planned actions to “avoid carnage by criminals who have an arsenal of war,” said Elbé.
Despite failing to notify the police about their planned march, the group split into two, further complicating police efforts to halt the crowd.
“Police did everything to stop them,” said Elbé, referring to the event as a “tragedy.”
Zidor, the pastor, could not be immediately reached for comment. His church remained closed on Monday, with large metal gates shut tight.
Tranquil Florant, a 32-year-old homeopathic doctor and church member, told the Associated Press that plans for the ill-fated march were announced last Thursday during an all-night prayer session.
This tragic episode underscores the complex interplay of crime, religion, and civil unrest that has gripped Haiti since its devastating 2010 earthquake.
The community of Canaan, originally established by survivors of the earthquake, has since fallen under the control of criminal gangs.
Human rights groups are concerned that this episode could set a dangerous precedent of vigilante justice and civil conflict, when Haiti still grapples with the consequences of a turbulent political landscape and natural disasters.
“We are walking on a dangerous path,” said Rony Timothée, a Haitian human rights advocate. “Taking the law into one’s own hands can never be a solution, and this unfortunate incident indicates that more work needs to be done to stabilize our country.”
In the wake of the deadly march, the Haiti National Police have vowed to hold accountable those responsible for encouraging the violent confrontation.
The incident has raised alarming questions about governance, security, and the rule of law in a country still seeking stability more than a decade after its life-altering earthquake.
