12 people killed in a weekend massacre by the Kokorat San Ras gang in Haiti

A new attack by the armed gang known as “Kokorat San Ras” was reported Monday afternoon in the 4th communal section of Gros-Morne, in Haiti’s Artibonite department, according to initial reports received by local media outlet Rezo Nòdwès. Residents described the situation as extremely tense and issued urgent appeals for security forces to intervene.

The fresh offensive comes barely two days after a weekend massacre in which at least a dozen people were killed. Local sources told Rezo Nòdwès that 12 victims were residents of Dosmi (also referred to as Dosni), in the 6th communal section of Gros-Morne. The death toll from the Monday afternoon assault remained unknown at the time of the initial reports, as the attack was still ongoing. Areas including Dosmi and Acul Gros-Morne were reported under threat.

Other local and regional accounts linked related violence around the same period to retaliatory actions. Reports indicated that members of Kokorat San Ras killed around 11–12 civilians in the Gros-Morne area, in some cases after a security operation by the Gang Suppression Force (FRG/GSF, a UN-backed force). In that operation, three armed individuals were reported killed or wounded, after which gang members allegedly returned to attack civilians, burn homes, and sow terror. Local officials, including interim municipal executive Hubert Cénéac, described some of the violence as reprisals and warned of further deterioration without a stronger presence by the FRG and the Haitian National Police.

Residents of Gros-Morne continued to call for urgent help as the latest attack unfolded. The full scale of casualties and displacement from the Monday afternoon assault had not yet been confirmed.