Haiti has long been a trans-shipment hub to move cocaine, cannabis and to a lesser extent heroin and amphetamines to the United States and the Dominican Republic, says UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
Gangsters had been ejected from Cabaret town north of capital Port-au-Prince several days ago but they returned, killing 12 people and burning many houses, says mayor.
The attack took place in a neighbourhood controlled by gang leader Vitelhomme Innocent, who is wanted in the US over his participation in the kidnapping of 16 American missionaries in October 2021.
The Haitian government on Friday formalised its request for international assistance to staunch spiralling insecurity.
Poor Caribbean country seeks "specialised armed forces" to end blockade of country's main fuel port that has led to crippling shortages, but many are against another international intervention.
Haitians brace for fuel price hikes, after a speech by PM Ariel Henry, amid a growing scarcity of gasoline and diesel that could force some businesses to shutter.
Most of the victims were not directly involved in gangs, UN human rights office says, adding that there have also been reports of sexual violence.
"At least 89 people were killed and 16 others are missing," says a human rights group, while aid agencies report seeing burned and rotting corpses in impoverished suburb of the capital Port-au-Prince.
All eight Turkish nationals seized last month are now free after the gang released three Turkish women earlier in June "because they were sick."
The mass kidnapping came as Haiti finds itself in the grip of armed gangs, whom police have failed to confront.
The global body underlined that thousands of residents of the conflict-hit northern suburbs have been forced to flee their homes and take refuge with relatives or in temporary shelters such as churches and schools.
Gang-related kidnappings in Haiti increased 180 percent in the past year, with 655 of them reported to police, according to a report by the United Nations Security Council.
Subscribe to our Youtube channel for all latest in-depth, on the ground reporting from around the world.
Copyright © 2023 TRT World.
Like
Follow