CNN —At least seven people are dead after a gang opened fire on a church-led protest in a suburb of Haiti’s capital on Saturday, according to local human rights groups.
Hundreds of people gathered by a Christian church leader, marched in Canaan, a northern suburb of capital Port-au-Prince, and rallied against gang violence when a local gang opened fire with machine guns, Marie Yolène Gilles, director of human rights group Fondasyon Je Klere, told CNN.
The number of people killed is likely higher, given the number of parishioners at the march, said Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights director Gédéon Jean.
A video shared with CNN by a local human rights group shows bloody bodies on the ground, wearing shirts with the religious group’s logo.
Gang violence in HaitiWaves of crime and unrest have hit Haiti since the assassination of former President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
Persons:
Marie Yolène Gilles, Gédéon Jean, ” Jean, Jean, Jovenel Moïse, Ariel Henry, Prince, Kale ”, María Isabel Salvador
Organizations:
CNN, Analysis, Human, Haitian National Police, United Nations
Locations:
Haiti’s, Canaan, Port, Haiti