Avellon Williams
PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI- The latest attack by gangs on Haiti killed three police officers in an ambush near the capital on Sunday.
So far this year, nearly two dozen officers have been killed, according to authorities.
In Thomassin, a predominantly upper-class neighbourhood south of Port-au-Prince, a gang known as Ti Makak, also known as “Little Macaques”, was responsible for the shootings.
According to the National Union of Haitian Police Officers, which expressed sadness over the news, details of the killings were provided by an officer who survived the attack.
Ariel Henry, the Haitian Prime Minister, condemned the killings and offered condolences.
He tweeted: “Our police brothers have today, once again, fallen under the murderous bullets of lawless thugs. We deplore these barbaric acts.”
As gangs battle over territory and become more powerful since President Jovenel Moise’s assassination in July 2021, at least 21 police officers have been killed this year.
In September, the Ti Makak gang was also accused of killing three officers in nearby Laboule.
The Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry and other top officials requested foreign troops in October to crush the gangs, but so far, the United Nations security council, along with the United States and Canada, have imposed sanctions.
Equipment, training, and other resources have also been provided by foreign countries to Haiti’s National Police.
In Port-au-Prince and nearby areas, gangs were suspected of killing 531 people and kidnapping 277 more.
According to the United Nations, another 160,000 people have been displaced by violence in the country of more than 11 million.
As of now, gangs control 80 percent of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas, according to the UN.
