Armed Gang Attack Near Port au Prince Claims Lives of Two Nuns and Others - Updates on Haiti Violence

PORT AU PRINCE – Two nuns were among several people killed when an armed gang ran riot near Haitian capital Port au Prince on Monday, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Port au Prince, Max Leroy Mésidor, has confirmed.

The nuns belonging to the Order of Saint Teresa have been identified as Evanette Onezaire and Jeanne Voltaire and their deaths come as the Vivre Ensemble coalition, a group uniting the country’s most powerful gangs, launched an offensive in a bid to take control of the country.

Media reports said that they had sought refuge in a house as the gang attacked the prison and other public buildings in Mirebalais, 30 miles north-east of the capital.

Gang members found the Sisters’ hiding place and shot them dead. A young girl sheltering with them received gun wounds to her chest.

In a message to the Catholic Charity Aid to the Church in Need (CAN) Archbishop Mésidor wrote “several murders took place during this attack, including two Sisters from the local congregation of the Little Sisters of Saint Thérèse.

Director of projects at ACN (International), Marco Mencaglia, said “we ask that God grant [Sisters Onezaire and Voltaire] eternal rest, and we pray for their families and the safety of the congregation.”

Mencaglia added that the charity remains committed to supporting the Haitian Church, issuing “an urgent call for prayer in the face of the increased violence and its devastating impact on the community”.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, had earlier this week condemned the attack by heavily armed gang members on the town of Mirebalais, 30 miles northeast of the capital.

The authorities said that during the attack the gang members burnt several houses and vehicles, and fired automatic weapons.

The United Nations Security Council in 2023 passed a resolution for the the Kenya-led MSS mission, aimed at combating gang violence and restoring stability in the country. Criminal gangs are seeking to take complete control of the capital Port au Prince, and have launched several attacks, killing women and children among others.

MSS spokesman, Jack Ombaka, confirmed that two Kenyan officers were seriously during the latest gang attack injured evacuated to the Dominican Republic for medical treatment. (CMC)