At least 12 bodies found after gang attacks in upscale Haiti suburb

Bodies found outside capital, Port-au-Prince, as attacks by gang members have ravaged the country for weeks.

At least 12 bodies have been removed by ambulance from the affluent neighbourhood of Petion-Ville on the outskirts of the Haitian capital as tensions simmer pending the announcement of a new government.

Gunmen looted homes in the mountainous communities of Laboule and Thomassin before sunrise on Monday, forcing residents to flee as some called radio stations pleading for police.

The neighbourhoods had remained largely peaceful despite a surge in gang attacks across Port-au-Prince that began on February 29.

The bodies of the victims, who had been shot, were removed from the main road leading into the suburb and from outside a fuel station, the Reuters and Associated Press news agencies reported.

The latest attacks have raised concerns that gang violence will not end despite Prime Minister Ariel Henry announcing nearly a week ago that he would resign once a transitional presidential council is created, a move that the gangs have been demanding. The council will have seven voting members and two observers from different political coalitions and sectors of society.

Gang leaders who have long sought to remove Henry have warned of a “battle” for Haiti and threatened politicians who join the transition council. Meanwhile, residents are facing worsening shortages of food and medical care.

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Also on Monday, Haiti’s power company announced that four substations in the capital and elsewhere “were destroyed and rendered completely dysfunctional”. As a result, swathes of Port-au-Prince were without power, including the Cite Soleil slum, the Croix-des-Bouquets community and a hospital.

The company said criminals also seized important documents, cables, inverters, batteries and other items.

The violence has created a political impasse that has seen the United Nations as well as the United States and Canadian embassies withdrawing their staff in recent days.

US Department of State spokesperson Vedant Patel on Monday said Haitian stakeholders are “very close” to finalising membership of the proposed transition council and remain in active discussions with the leaders of Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

“I expect them to have an update, hopefully, as soon as today [Monday],” Patel said.