Overview:
A rogue man carrying a machete attacked residents in Savanne Longue, a village in Ouanaminthe, on Sunday, killing three people and injuring several others. The attacker was later lynched and burned by residents. Authorities have opened an investigation.
OUANAMINTHE, Ha1ti —A rural community in Haiti’s northeast is reeling after a machete attack killed four people and sparked a mob lynching, underscoring the country’s deep public safety failures and the absence of mental health care in many rural areas.
The violence unfolded early Sunday morning, Feb. 8, in Savanne Longue, the third communal section of Ouanaminthe, near the Dominican border. Around 8 a.m., a man identified by residents as Manius attacked multiple people with a machete in the Birannman area, where farmers were tending livestock.
Police say at least three people were killed during the initial attack, with several others seriously injured. A fourth death occurred later, when residents captured the suspect and beat him before setting him on fire.
“We are facing violence of extreme brutality,” Ouanaminthe Police Commissioner Ronald Eugène said. “Our priority is to establish the facts and ensure the law is applied.”
How the bloody tragedy unfolded
According to local authorities and eyewitnesses, the reasons for the massacre and the circumstances around it are unclear. Manius struck without warning, attacking people engaged in daily agricultural work. Victims had little time to flee or defend themselves.
Among the dead were:
- Roger Pierre, 79, known as Ton Delan, who was taking care of a fighting rooster at the time of the attack. Both he and the animal were killed.
- Ludovic Julien, 68.
- A man from the nearby Carice Commune, who was attacked on the road and later died at a hospital. His name has not yet been officially released.
- Manius, the accused assailant, who was lynched by an angry mob hours later.
Several others suffered serious injuries, according to Wilvick Toto, a member of the Administrative Communal Section Council (CASEC).
After attacking residents, Manius continued through the area, striking livestock, including two oxen. The rampage spread panic across nearby localities, forcing residents to flee or hide.
“He was attacking people and animals alike,” Toto said.
Mob reaction, warning signs and unanswered questions
As fear spread, residents mobilized to stop the attacker. Manius was eventually intercepted in Djout, a nearby village. Witnesses said he was overpowered, beaten and then burned alive by members of the community.
Eugène confirmed to The Haitian Times that police have opened an investigation into both the killings and the lynching.
“We must determine whether the actions taken were in response to imminent danger or constituted an unlawful act,” he said.
Justice of the Peace Renaud Pierre traveled to the scene with officers from the Haitian National Police (PNH) and local officials to document the events and launch a formal inquiry.
The investigation will examine the circumstances of the attack, the suspect’s mental state and the responsibility of those involved in the lynching.
“Justice must shed full light on this tragedy, both on the acts committed and on the circumstances that led to the suspect’s death,” Pierre said.
“Justice must shed full light on this tragedy—both the acts committed and the circumstances that led to the suspect’s death.”
Judge Renaud Pierre
Local officials said Manius had displayed troubling behavior in the days leading up to the attack.
“People close to him said he had been acting strangely for more than a week,” Toto said.
No medical diagnosis has been confirmed, but residents raised concerns about possible untreated mental illness—an issue common in rural Haiti, where mental health services are virtually nonexistent.
Manius was originally from La Rose Bonite, in Carice, and had lived for years in Savanne Longue, working as an ox driver and farm laborer. Residents said he had no known criminal history and was long considered calm and hardworking.
A familiar pattern in rural Haiti
The tragedy has reignited debate over vigilante justice in Haiti, where communities often resort to mob violence amid weak law enforcement, delayed judicial processes and a lack of emergency response.
In many rural areas, police presence is minimal or hours away, and the justice system is chronically underfunded and overwhelmed. Mental health care is largely inaccessible, leaving families and communities without support when individuals show signs of distress or instability.
As a result, fear and anger frequently escalate into mob action—often with deadly consequences.
Authorities reiterated that while residents may have sought to prevent further harm, mob justice only deepens cycles of violence.
“We understand the fear and anger,” the local CASEC official said. “But no one is above the law. Justice cannot be replaced by revenge.”
Families of the victims spent the day collecting remains and preparing burials. Residents described scenes of mourning and disbelief in the tight-knit farming community, where nearly everyone knows one another.
As investigations continue, the people of Savanne Longue are left grappling with grief—and with broader questions about safety, justice and the state’s ability to protect its citizens.
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