Haiti's Gran Grif gang is blamed for new attack that activists say killed 30 people

Key Points:

• At least 30 people have died and dozens more are missing following a renewed attack by the Gran Grif gang on Petite-Rivière de l’Artibonite in central Haiti, with the gang maintaining control of the Jean-Denis neighborhood and setting up roadblocks.
• Human rights activists report that the area is deserted except for gang presence, and communication is poor, complicating efforts to verify casualty figures, which some sources estimate as high as 70 dead.
• Haiti’s National Police, supported by Kenyan police from a U.N. mission, attempted to rescue residents but were hindered by gang tactics such as digging holes to block police access; official reports cite at least 16 killed and 10 injured by gunfire.
• Gangs control approximately 90% of Port-au-Prince and significant parts of Haiti’s central region, with the United Nations describing their territorial consolidation as “unprecedented” and noting over 5,500 gang-related deaths between March 2025 and January 2026.
• Gran Grif, the largest gang in the Artibonite region, has a history of violent attacks including a massacre in Pont-Sondé in October 2024 that killed over 70 people, and previous assaults forcing mass displacement across the country’s longest river.