Haiti gangs launch deadly attack on capital's Delmas neighborhood
More than 1 million Haitians — close to 10% of the Caribbean's most populous country — have been internally displaced due to a years-long conflict in which well-funded and broadly allied armed gangs have expanded and cemented their control over much of the capital and surrounding areas.
Police did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.
'We haven't slept since the day before yesterday because everyone was panicking,' said local resident Alex Josue, saying he believed around 15 people had been killed.
'I have a friend who sells meat at the Delmas 30 market and they burned him in front of his child,' he said. 'A woman who lived very close to me was taken with her child, and they burned them.'
'I don't know whether to go up or down, left or right,' added Josue. 'Wherever the gangs go, we run.'
Local rights group RNDDH's program director Rosy Auguste Ducena said her organization was not yet able to estimate a death count, but there were reports of several people being killed or shot at, and several houses set on fire.
'According to the information we've received, the armed gangs are on the rampage. They attack several areas at the same time, and it's always the same modus operandi: murder, arson, gunshot wounds, rape, and so on,' Ducena said.
'Each time, the victims try to flee and find refuge in often unlikely places,' she added.
In Delmas 30, residents fled the scene carrying mattresses and other goods on their heads. One man pushed a corpse in a wheelbarrow.
A local resident, who asked not to be identified, said the area had been facing deadly attacks since 1 a.m., and appealed to Jimmy Cherizier, a former policeman who leads the Viv Ansanm gang coalition that is looking to become a political party.
'The population is fleeing, they don't know where to go,' the person said. 'What have we done to you?'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Columbia disciplines dozens of students for pro-Palestinian library protest
WASHINGTON, July 22 (Reuters) - Columbia University said on Tuesday it was disciplining dozens of pro-Palestinian student protesters who seized part of the school's main library during a demonstration in early May that led to multiple arrests. Following the protest, the university began an investigation into rules violations, banned participants from the campus and placed them on interim suspension, it said. It issued its final determinations on Tuesday. Columbia said in a statement that the sanctions included probation, suspensions ranging from one year to three years, the revocation of degrees, and expulsions. It did not specify how it disciplined any individuals. "Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of University policies and Rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences," the university said in the statement announcing the actions. President Donald Trump, opens new tab has targeted universities including Columbia since returning to the White House in January over the pro-Palestinian student protest movement that roiled campuses last year. Columbia for Palestine, a pro-Palestinian group at the school, said on Tuesday that 80 students were informed on Monday about their punishments. It said the disciplinary action marked "the most suspensions for a single political protest in Columbia campus history" and exceeded past disciplinary actions announced against people over other protests. In March, the Trump administration said it was penalizing the university over how it handled last year's pro-Palestinian protests by canceling hundreds of millions of dollars in research grants. It contended that Columbia's response to alleged antisemitism and harassment of Jewish and Israeli members of the university community was insufficient. After the government announced the funding cancellations, the school announced a series of commitments in response to the administration's concerns. "We support free speech," the school said in a statement at the time. "But demonstrations and other protest activities that occur inside academic buildings and places where academic activities take place present a direct impediment to maintaining our core academic mission." Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the Trump administration has wrongly conflated their criticism of Israel's military assault in Gaza with antisemitism and their advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism. Israel's devastating military campaign in Gaza followed a deadly October 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, the militant organization that governed Gaza. Last week, Columbia adopted a controversial definition of antisemitism that equates it with opposition to Zionism. The school also said it would no longer engage with pro-Palestinian group Columbia University Apartheid Divest. The government has attempted to use the leverage of federal funding with other educational institutions as well, including Harvard University, over campus protests. It has also tried deporting some foreign pro-Palestinian students but has faced judicial roadblocks. Rights advocates have raised concerns about due process, academic freedom and free speech over the government's actions.
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Key moments in EU-China trade frictions
BEIJING, July 22 (Reuters) - Chinese and European Union leaders will meet in Beijing on Thursday for a summit marking 50 years of diplomatic ties. Here is a timeline of EU-China trade tensions in recent years. Mar 22, 2021 - The EU sanctions four Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang, its first significant sanctions on China since the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. China sanctions 10 EU politicians and think tanks in response. May 20, 2021 - The European Parliament halts ratification of a comprehensive investment pact with China following Beijing's sanctions. Dec 3, 2021 - China imposes an unannounced embargo on Lithuanian exports, after Vilnius allowed Taiwan to open a de facto embassy. Mar 30, 2023 - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the EU must "de-risk" from trade and supply chain dependencies on China. Sep 13, 2023 - The EU launches an anti-subsidy probe into Chinese EV exports to assess whether to impose punitive tariffs. Jan 5, 2024 - China opens an anti-dumping investigation into brandy imports from the EU. Apr 9, 2024 - The EU announces an investigation into subsidies received by Chinese suppliers of wind turbines. Jun 17, 2024 - China opens an anti-dumping investigation into pork and its by-products from the EU. Aug 21, 2024 - China opens an anti-subsidy probe into dairy imports from the EU. Oct 8, 2024 - China imposes temporary anti-dumping tariffs on EU brandy, hitting brands from Hennessy to Remy Martin. Oct 29, 2024 - The EU approves imposing extra tariffs of up to 35.3% on Chinese-made EVs for five years, but negotiations continue. Jan 20, 2025 - On the day of U.S. President Donald Trump's inauguration, Von der Leyen says the EU should "expand trade and investment ties" with China where possible, in an apparent softening of Brussels' stance. Apr 30, 2025 - China lifts sanctions on some EU lawmakers and institutions imposed in 2021. Jun 20, 2025 - The EU bars Chinese companies from participating in public tenders for medical device purchases exceeding five million euros. Jul 4, 2025 - China spares major cognac producers from duties of up to 34.9% on European brandy imports. Jul 6, 2025 - China retaliates with restricting government purchases of medical devices from the EU that exceed 45 million yuan ($6.3 million) in value. Jul 8, 2025 - Von der Leyen accuses China of flooding global markets with overcapacity and enabling Russia's war economy in a fiery speech at the EU Parliament.
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Reuters
Trump announces trade deal with Japan, including 15% tariff
WASHINGTON, July 22 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced a trade deal with Japan that he said will result in Japan investing $550 billion into the United States and paying a 15% reciprocal tariff. In a post on Truth Social, Trump added that Japan will open to trade, including cars, trucks, rice and certain agricultural products.
