Amnesty International has condemned the 29 March 2026 massacre in Petite-Rivière de l’Artibonite, in Haiti’s Artibonite department, describing it as another devastating example of the authorities’ and international community’s failure to protect civilians from escalating gang violence. The attack was reportedly carried out by Gran Grif, one of Haiti’s most violent gangs, and has drawn renewed attention to the country’s worsening security crisis and the heavy human cost of prolonged inaction.
Astrid Valencia, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Research for the Americas, said the massacre is part of a long pattern of crimes that Haitian authorities and international actors have been unable to prevent. She stressed that the violence once again exposes the inability of the state to safeguard the population and called for urgent efforts to create conditions for sustainable security, with human rights placed at the centre of the response. She also emphasized the need to ensure that all those suspected of criminal responsibility are brought to justice through fair trials.
Although casualty figures remain preliminary, Haitian authorities have confirmed at least 16 people were killed and 10 injured in the attack. However, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Haiti has reported that the death toll may be far higher, with at least 70 people believed to have been killed. The scale of the violence has raised serious concerns about the deteriorating security environment and the continuing inability to prevent mass atrocities in gang-affected areas.
The attack also caused widespread destruction and displacement. At least 50 homes were reportedly burned and looted during the assault, while thousands of residents were forced to flee their communities. The incident highlights the growing humanitarian consequences of gang violence in Haiti, where repeated attacks are destroying livelihoods, uprooting families, and deepening the country’s broader crisis of insecurity and impunity.
