Port-au-Prince, March 30, 2026 – Heavily armed men from the “Gran Grif” gang massacred dozens of civilians overnight from Saturday, March 28, to Sunday, March 29, 2026, in the locality of Jean-Denis, in Petite Rivière de l’Artibonite, as the population was participating in an evening of rara, a traditional cultural event.
According to Bertide Horace, a local official contacted this Monday, March 30, the provisional toll stands at around thirty dead, at least eight people taken hostage, and numerous houses burned. Other sources report a much heavier toll, with more than 50 dead and approximately 6,000 displaced.
The attackers, who had divided into several groups, first cut off access routes leading to Jean-Denis to prevent security forces from intervening. The attack continued throughout the day on Sunday, and the criminals were still operating with impunity until this Monday, according to consistent testimonies.
According to a statement from the Communications Directorate of the Haitian National Police (DIKOP), an intervention finally took place on the morning of Sunday, March 29. Police officers from Saint-Marc, supported by Kenyan forces deployed as part of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, recently transformed into the FRG, conducted an operation to rescue the population.
The statement specifies that before the arrival of security forces, the bandits had cut the road and dug large holes to prevent the police from passing. The police officers, deployed with three armored vehicles, had to fill these holes, which gave the criminals time to claim numerous victims and set several houses on fire before fleeing.
Faced with the deployment of forces, the bandits fled. The police then took control of the area, secured the premises, and facilitated the transport of the wounded and the bodies to the Saint-Marc police station, the PNH statement continues. The Saint-Marc justice of the peace, Faneld’s Michel, went to the scene to document the facts. According to the toll released by the PNH, 16 people were killed and 10 others wounded by gunfire.
Videos circulating on social media show the horror of the scene. Most victims were shot dead. About twenty houses were set on fire, and dozens of injured were treated at Saint-Nicolas Hospital in Saint-Marc.
This attack comes amid a context of chronic violence in Artibonite, a region regularly devastated by the atrocities of armed gangs. Despite repeated alerts from residents and local organizations, the presence of security forces remains insufficient.
As of Monday morning, no official communication from the government had been released to condemn the massacre or announce concrete measures. In the face of this new tragedy, several civil society organizations are calling for urgent measures to protect civilians in the region.
In a statement released last Thursday following a visit by the Minister of Defense, Mario Andrésol, to the Vertières base of the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAD’H) in Tabarre, Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé reaffirmed “with the greatest firmness” the government’s commitment to addressing the security imperative. He welcomed the minister’s visit and announced decisive measures: the upcoming adoption of a new military doctrine, the imminent graduation of the “François Makandal” promotion — a first intervention unit of approximately 400 members set to be deployed against armed groups — as well as the training of 1,200 new soldiers within three months.
