Overview:
The Kokorat San Ras gang carried out a shooting spree against residents of Gros-Morne, a commune in the Artibonite department that has been under gang control in recent years, killing at least 11 people. The attack was orchestrated in retaliation for a Gang Suppression Force crackdown that left three suspected gang members dead, according to the city’s interim mayor.
GONAÏVES — A shooting spree in Haiti’s Artibonite Department Monday left at least 14 people dead, including 11 civilians and three suspected members of the Kokorat San Ras armed gang, who were fatally wounded in Dosni, a locality in Gros-Morne’s third communal section, according to interim Mayor Hubert Cénéac.
Four members of the same family were among those killed, Cénéac said in an interview with The Haitian Times.
“We are sending multiple SOS calls to the highest levels of government for security assistance,” he said. So far, nothing has been done.”
The mayor said that those four victims were traveling by motorcycle to take a sick woman to hospital when they were caught in violent crossfire. They included a grandmother, her son-in-law and her grandson. Several houses were also set ablaze as violence spread through the area.
The killings followed a confrontation between the Kokorat San Ras gang and a Sri Lankan contingent of the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), according to Cénéac. The force has been conducting operations outside Haiti’s capital as part of an international effort to help Haitian authorities confront armed groups that have expanded their territorial control.
The violence highlights the continuing difficulty of protecting civilians in areas where the state has limited security and judicial capacity. In Artibonite, armed groups have repeatedly attacked communities, controlled strategic roads and displaced residents, while police and international forces have struggled to maintain a sustained presence outside major population centers. A 2025 report by the National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH) documented at least 24 armed attacks or massacres in 25 localities across eight Artibonite communes between January and September of that year.
Attack followed GSF operation as residents fear more to come
Cénéac said the violence began after Kokorat San Ras members allegedly opened fire on Sri Lankan GSF personnel patrolling the area.
“Bandits from the Kokorat San Ras group opened fire on the Sri Lankan military contingent,” Cénéac told The Haitian Times. “When GSF soldiers arrived at a toll point near the communal section, clashes broke out.”
GSF personnel intervened and killed three suspected members of the armed group, according to the mayor. After the force withdrew, armed-group members allegedly retaliated against civilians, killing residents and setting homes on fire.
Neither the GSF nor human rights organizations have publicly confirmed all details of the mayor’s account, including the civilian death toll, but local media reports also attributed at least 11 civilian deaths to a Kokorat San Ras retaliation following a GSF operation in Gros-Morne.
The aftermath left families struggling to recover victims’ bodies. Cénéac said some bodies could not be transported to a morgue because of insecurity, while a justice of the peace was unable to reach some areas to conduct official assessments.
The situation remained tense Monday evening, with residents reporting bursts of automatic gunfire near the Gros-Morne town center.
Cénéac said armed-group members had threatened to invade the municipality, raising fears of additional attacks.
“We continue to hear bursts of automatic gunfire near the Gros-Morne town center,” Cénéac said.
The mayor said he had been informed by GSF commanders that discussions were underway about establishing a permanent security presence in Gros-Morne. He did not provide details about a potential location or timeline.
For residents, the immediate concern remains whether security forces can prevent another attack and restore freedom of movement.
A persistent Kokorat San Ras threat
Monday’s attack was the latest in a series of violent incidents attributed to Kokorat San Ras in Gros-Morne.
The group has repeatedly targeted communities in the municipality and other parts of Artibonite. In August last year, Kokorat San Ras and other armed groups across the department attacked residents in Gros-Morne, killing, kidnapping, arson, looting and forcing families to leave their homes. Gangs killed at least six people and abducted Radio Union FM owner Wedner Gédéon, according to an RNDDH report. The organization reported that the journalist was later released after his family paid a ransom.
The repeated attacks have left residents caught between armed groups and a security apparatus that local officials say lacks the personnel and resources to protect them.
The RNDDH identified Gros-Morne as one of several communes in the department facing repeated attacks.
Mayor decries lack of state protection
Cénéac said the local police force is too small to confront armed groups operating in the area. He said officers assigned to the commune are already stretched by routine security responsibilities.
He also accused the Ministry of the Interior and Local Authorities of failing to provide funding to the municipal administration for more than 35 months.
The lack of resources has further limited the municipality’s ability to support the National Police and respond to insecurity, he said.
“In the communal sections, the state is virtually nonexistent; the bandits are the ones who rule today,” Cénéac said.
His comments reflect a broader problem facing Haiti as armed groups continue to exploit gaps in state authority. In Artibonite, a region that has historically been important to Haiti’s agricultural economy, gangs have used control of roads and communities to restrict movement, extort residents and disrupt economic activity. A U.N.-backed human rights assessment has documented the expansion of Kokorat San Ras and other armed groups in the department and the resulting disruption of civilian life and state institutions.
For Gros-Morne residents, Monday’s killings have added another layer of fear to a crisis that has persisted for years.
“We hope that the highest authorities in the country will take into account the situation of the civilian population of Gros-Morne and come to their aid against the armed attacks,” Cénéac said.
