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Gang Leader Orders Massacre of 110 Elderly in Cité Soleil over Witchcraft Claims

Dec 9, 2024, 02:50 PM

Over the weekend, a gang leader in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, ordered the massacre of at least 110 elderly residents, all over the age of 60, in the Cité Soleil slum. The victims were killed, many with knives, after Monel 'Mikano' Felix, leader of the Viv Ansanm gang, accused them of practicing witchcraft that he believed caused his child's illness and subsequent death. The attack resulted in one of the worst mass killings in Haiti in recent years. The United Nations and human rights organizations have condemned the violence, with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk reporting that 184 people were killed in the capital over the weekend amid escalating gang violence. Cité Soleil, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince, has been particularly affected. The Haitian government has denounced the massacre as an act of barbarity and has vowed to bring those responsible to justice.