On Monday, December 23, 2024, a little over two weeks after the start of a crime wave committed by the Wharf Jérémie gang in the commune of Port-au-Prince, the United Nations Integrated Office (BINUH) in Haiti and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) published their investigation report.

Between December 6 and 11, 2024, more than 207 people (134 men and 73 women) were executed, the majority of whom were elderly people accused of practicing voodoo and causing the illness of the gang leader's child [Micanor Altes alias "Wa Mikanò" https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-43812-haiti-flash-nearly-200-people-massacred-in-cite-soleil-provisional-report.html ]. Other victims included people who attempted to flee the area for fear of reprisals, or who were suspected of leaking information about the crimes to local media.

BINUH and OHCHR work established that the victims resided in five separate areas across the Wharf Jérémie neighbourhood and were killed over a period of 6 days.

They were first tracked down at their homes and a place of worship, and taken to the gang's stronghold where they were held captive and interrogated in a so-called "training centre". They were then taken to a nearby execution site before being shot dead or killed with machetes. The gang tried to erase all evidence by burning the bodies, or by dismembering them and then throwing them into the sea.

Maria Isabel Salvador, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative in Haiti, stresses that these crimes touch the very foundation of Haitian society, targeting the most vulnerable populations.

"We cannot pretend that nothing happened. I call on the Haitian justice system to thoroughly investigate these horrifie crimes and arrest and punish the perpetrators, as well as those who support them. I also call on the authorities to set up a specialized judicial unit as soon as possible to combat this type of crime."

For a long time, neither the police nor the judicial authorities have intervened at Wharf Jérémie. The abuses committed by gang members remain largely unpunished. On 12 December, the Prime Minister nevertheless instructed the Minister of Justice and Public Security and the head of the judicial police to deploy all necessary resources to apprehend the perpetrators of these crimes.

HL/ S/ HaitiLibre