Gangs attack another town in Haiti's central region, killing an 11-year-old child and three others
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Gangs have attacked another town in Haiti 's central region, killing at least four people, including an 11-year-old child, a human rights activist told The Associated Press on Monday.
At least 15 other people were injured by gunfire, and more than a dozen homes were burned in Petite Rivière, said Bertide Horace, spokesperson for the Commission for Dialogue, Reconciliation and Awareness to Save the Artibonite.
The attack began Thursday, but police were still battling gang members on Monday, she said in a phone interview.
Horace shared grisly videos that showed people receiving treatment for serious wounds at a local hospital.
Before she could provide further details, Horace warned that the town being attacked was without power. Her cellphone was then cut off.
A spokesperson for Haiti's National Police did not immediately return a request for comment.
Petite Rivière is the latest community in the once peaceful Artibonite region that gangs have targeted.
In late March, gangs struck the city of Mirebalais and stormed a local prison, freeing more than 500 inmates. They also attacked the nearby town of Saut d'Eau, considered a sacred place that attracts thousands of Haitians annually for a Vodou-Catholic pilgrimage.
While gangs control at least 85% of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, they have launched attacks in the country's central region in recent years.
On Monday, Chrisla, the powerful leader of the Ti Bois gang, announced a three-day strike in the Port-au-Prince neighborhood of Carrefour, which has been bereft of any government presence since gangs seized control of it in recent years.
He ordered public transportation and private businesses to close, saying only hospitals and firefighters were authorized to operate.
Chrisla also said he wanted a new Haiti 'so that we can all sit at the same table to reconcile this nation.'
Haiti's government leaders have repeatedly said they would not negotiate with gangs or include them in any discussions aimed at helping stabilize the troubled country.
A U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police that began last year to help Haitian police quell violence has struggled in its fight against gangs.
More than 5,600 people were killed across Haiti last year, with gang violence leaving more than one million people homeless.
____
Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
42 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
UN nuclear watchdog's board of governors finds Iran isn't complying with its nuclear obligations
VIENNA (AP) — The U.N. nuclear watchdog's board of governors on Thursday formally found that Iran isn't complying with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years, a move that could lead to further tensions and set in motion an effort to restore United Nations sanctions on Tehran later this year. Iran reacted immediately, saying it will establish a new enrichment facility after the vote against it. The announcement said the facility will be 'in a secure location' and that 'other measures are also being planned.' 'The Islamic Republic of Iran has no choice but to respond to this political resolution,' the Iranian Foreign Ministry and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said in a joint statement announcing the decision. Nineteen countries on the International Atomic Energy Agency's board, which represents the agency's member nations, voted for the resolution, according to diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the outcome of the closed-doors vote. Russia, China and Burkina Faso opposed it, 11 abstained and two did not vote. In the draft resolution seen by The Associated Press, the board of governors renews a call on Iran to provide answers 'without delay' in a long-running investigation into uranium traces found at several locations that Tehran has failed to declare as nuclear sites. Western officials suspect that the uranium traces could provide evidence that Iran had a secret nuclear weapons program until 2003. The resolution was put forward by France, the U.K., Germany and the United States. Iran under pressure as Trump warns of possible airstrikes It wasn't immediately clear where the 'secure location' of Iran's new facility will be. Iran has been digging tunnels in the mountain near its Natanz enrichment facility. Iran also said it would replace its older IR-1 centrifuges at its underground facility at Fordo with advanced IR-6 centrifuges, which enrich uranium much faster. 'Iran's many failures to uphold its obligations since 2019 to provide the Agency with full and timely cooperation regarding undeclared nuclear material and activities at multiple undeclared locations in Iran ... constitutes non-compliance with its obligations under its Safeguards Agreement,' the draft resolution says. Under the so-called safeguards obligations, which are part of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran is legally bound to declare all nuclear material and activities and allow IAEA inspectors to verify that none of it is being diverted from peaceful uses. The draft resolution also finds that the IAEA's 'inability ... to provide assurance that Iran's nuclear program is exclusively peaceful gives rise to questions that are within the competence of the United Nations Security Council, as the organ bearing the main responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.' The vote comes at a sensitive time as tensions in the region have been rising, with the U.S. State Department announcing on Wednesday that it is drawing down the presence of people who are not deemed essential to operations in the Middle East. U.S. President Donald Trump has previously said that Israel or the U.S. could carry out airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities if negotiations failed. The U.S. and Iran have been holding talks on Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program. Oman's foreign minister said earlier Thursday that a sixth round of negotiations will be held in his country on Sunday. The draft resolution makes a direct reference to the U.S.-Iran talks, stressing its 'support for a diplomatic solution to the problems posed by the Iranian nuclear program, including the talks between the United States and Iran, leading to an agreement that addresses all international concerns related to Iran's nuclear activities, encouraging all parties to constructively engage in diplomacy.' Still a chance for Iran to cooperate with IAEA A senior Western diplomat last week described the resolution as a 'serious step,' but added that Western nations are 'not closing the door to diplomacy on this issue.' However, if Iran fails to cooperate, an extraordinary IAEA board meeting will likely be held in the summer, during which another resolution could get passed that will refer the issue to the Security Council, the diplomat said on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss the issue with the media. The three European nations have repeatedly threatened in the past to reinstate sanctions that have been lifted under the original 2015 Iran nuclear deal if Iran does not provide 'technically credible' answers to the U.N. nuclear watchdog's questions. The authority to reestablish those sanctions by the complaint of any member of the original 2015 nuclear deal expires in October, putting the West on a clock to exert pressure on Tehran over its program before losing that power. The resolution comes on heels of the IAEA's so-called 'comprehensive report' that was circulated among member states last weekend. In the report, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said that Iran's cooperation with the agency has 'been less than satisfactory' when it comes to uranium traces discovered by agency inspectors at several locations in Iran.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Israel says it detained Hamas members during an operation in southern Syria
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Israeli forces conducted an operation in southern Syria to detain several members of Hamas, the military said Thursday. Syria TV, a local station, reported that a force of about 100 Israeli troops stormed the southern Syrian village of Beit Jin near the border with Lebanon and called the names of several people through loud speakers who were detained. Syria TV said one person was shot dead by the Israeli force. The Israeli military said that the detained people were Hamas members who were planning attacks against Israel, and that they were taken to Israel for questioning, adding that its forces also found weapons in the area. The detained people were not identified. Since the fall of President Bashar Assad 's government in early December, Israeli forces have moved into several areas in southern Syria and conducted hundreds of airstrikes throughout the country, destroying much of the assets of the Syrian army. There was no immediate comment from Hamas or Syrian authorities. During a visit to France last month, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said that his country is holding indirect talks with Israel to prevent hostilities from getting out of control.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Netanyahu survives attempt to dissolve parliament
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government survived an attempt to dissolve parliament early Thursday morning, with most of his ultra-Orthodox coalition partners joining him in voting against a bill that would have forced them to register for military service while the country is at war. The vote was the most serious challenge to Netanyahu's government since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack, the biggest security failure in Israel's history and the trigger for the ongoing war in Gaza. The bill's failure means that no other bill to dissolve Knesset can be submitted for at least six months, shoring up Netanyahu's embattled coalition. The ultra-Orthodox parties are furious that the government has failed to pass a law exempting their community from mandatory military service. The issue has long divided the Jewish Israeli public, especially during the 20-month war in the Gaza Strip. Israel's opposition had hoped that the public anger over the exemptions would help topple the government. But just two of the 18 ultra-Orthodox members of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, supported the bill to dissolve. Most Haredi MKs agreed to vote against the bill after Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Yuli Edelstein said he and the ultra-Orthodox parties had reached an understanding on the basis of a new draft law, which they will continue discussing over the coming week. Military service is mandatory for most Jews in Israel, but the politically powerful ultra-Orthodox, who make up roughly 13% of Israeli society, have traditionally received exemptions if they are studying full-time in religious seminaries. The ultra-Orthodox, also known as Haredim, or 'God-fearing' in Hebrew, say that integrating into the army threatens their traditional way of life. Each year, roughly 13,000 ultra-Orthodox men reach the conscription age of 18, but less than 10% enlist, according to parliament's State Control Committee, which held a hearing examining the issue. Israel is engaged in the longest active war in the country's history, which has stretched its military to the breaking point. The Haredim's widespread refusal to serve, and threats to topple the government during wartime, have enraged many Israelis, especially those who have served multiple rounds of reserve duty.
