Haiti police launches operation to recover bodies after deadly church-led protest
Source: Reuters
Haiti police launches operation to recover bodies after deadly church-led protest
By Harold Isaac
August 28, 2023 8:09 PM EDT Updated 6 hours ago
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Haiti's police chief, Frantz Elbe, said on Monday he would launch an operation to recover the bodies of followers of an evangelical minister who led a deadly protest against a heavily armed gang controlling a suburb of the capital.
At least seven people were killed when gang members opened fire using machine guns in the northern suburb of Canaan on Saturday, according to local rights group CARDH, which said the death toll may be as high as 20, though investigations are ongoing and the area is not currently accessible.
Haiti's national police - which has struggled to battle the country's powerful gangs - said in a statement it condemned the protest of several hundred people led by Marcorel Zidor, known as Pastor Marco, of the Evangelical Piscine de Bethesda church.
Many Haitians since April have joined civilian self-defense groups known as "Bwa Kale," to protect communities against violent gangs that now control large parts of the country and whose frequent turf wars have driven a devastating humanitarian crisis.
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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/haiti-pastor-stands-by-decision-protest-after-gang-opened-fire-2023-08-28/
Non-paywalled link: https://news.yahoo.com/haiti-pastor-stands-decision-protest-222629875.html
