The La Saline massacre took place 8 years ago

8 years ago, on November 13, 2018, the neighborhood of La Saline, in Port-au-Prince, was the scene of a day of killings and mass rapes committed by armed gangs, possibly close to those in power.

A climate of tension

The massacre occurred as protests were multiplying against President Jovenel Moïse, elected in November 2016 and accused of corruption by demonstrators. Since the end of the UN peacekeeping soldiers' mission in October 2017, areas controlled by gangs had expanded throughout the capital.

The attack

According to witnesses, a police truck loaded with uniformed men arrived in the shantytown around 3 p.m. These men shot at civilians, while local gang members killed others by gunfire or with machetes. Death tolls vary: 71 civilian victims according to one count, at least 21 men according to witnesses cited by a human rights group, between 15 and 25 dead according to Fondasyon Je Klere.

The aftermath

The United Nations launched an investigation. In December 2020, the United States sanctioned Jimmy Chérizier, as well as Fednel Monchery and Joseph Pierre Richard Duplan, two officials from the Jovenel Moïse administration, for their alleged role in the massacre.