An attack by a notorious gang in the town of Pont Sondé, Haiti, left at least 70 people dead on Thursday, after gunmen armed with automatic rifles opened fire, a spokesperson for the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Friday.

Among the victims at the hands of the so-called Gran Grif gang were 10 women and three infants.

“As the attacks unfolded, gang members reportedly set fire to at least 45 houses and 34 vehicles, forcing a number of residents to flee,” said Thameen Al-Kheetan in a statement released in Geneva.

He called for a “prompt and thorough investigation” into the attack, for those responsible to be held to account and guaranteed reparations for the victims and their families.

Rights violations soar

The attack comes in the wider context of indiscriminate gang violence across Haiti, leading to an alarming escalation of human rights violations and large-scale internal displacement.

Over 700,000 people have been forced to flee their homes, making Haiti the country with the largest number of displacements globally due to crime-related violence.

Mass displacement has led to widespread insecurity in the nation, with almost half of Haiti’s 11.9 million civilians in dire need of humanitarian assistance.

The gang violence against the Haitian population has spread from the capital, Port-au-Prince, to isolated rural areas. The pervasive assaults include sexual violence, kidnapping, looting, roadblocks to intimidate and rob civilians and forced recruitment by armed gangs.

‘We cannot turn a blind eye’

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, is calling for increased and urgent attention, support, and solutions for Haitians affected by violence and insecurity, including those who have been forcibly displaced.

“Now more than ever, Haitians need our collective support, and we cannot turn a blind eye,” said UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Operations Raouf Mazou on Thursday after a three-day visit to the nation.

“Increased funding, enhanced security and international solidarity are essential to providing life-saving humanitarian assistance and restoring stability and hope in Haiti,” he added.

Despite the growing urgency of the crisis, funding for Haiti's humanitarian response remains critically low and the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan asking for $674 million is currently only 39 per cent funded.

UNHCR is calling on the international community to increase its support to address humanitarian needs and to pursue solutions for displaced populations in Haiti and for people fleeing Haiti.