March 17, 2026
The Artibonite department is sinking into an unprecedented spiral of violence, according to a report published on October 9, 2025, by the Reseau National des Droits de l’Homme – RNDDH (a human rights group). In nine months, twenty-four armed attacks were recorded across eight communes, highlighting an insecurity that has become structural.
Heavily armed groups such as Kokorat San Ras, Gran Grif, and Talibans-Mawozo now exert control over several localities. Their grip on strategic roads has paralyzed the movement of goods and people, plunging the region into fear and desolation.
The report cites a massacre of extraordinary brutality that occurred on May 20 in Préval, in the commune of Petite-Rivière de l’Artibonite. Twenty-four people, including an 86-year-old pastor decapitated during mass, were killed by a self-defense brigade, while farmers were executed in their fields.
In total, the RNDDH reports 84 deaths, including four Haitian police officers and two agents of the Multinational Security Support Mission. Several public institutions, including police stations and courts of peace, were set on fire, signaling a total collapse of state authority in the region.
The human rights network calls for a swift government response to halt this descent into chaos. It demands strong support for law enforcement, assistance for victims, and an effective intelligence strategy to prevent Artibonite from becoming a model of national disintegration.
