As per a UN report, five armed gangs carried out planned attacks on residents in La Saline in 2018. The incident killed at the Haiti slum. Several members of the police and a government representative were allegedly present during the shootings.
In the attacks carried out at the country's capital Port-au-Prince, two gang rapes took place and 12 people went missing. The youngest victim of the violence was aged ten months and the oldest 72 according to the report.
According to the report, victims and their relatives identified the presence of local official Richard Duplan and three police officers in La Saline during the violence. Police failings gave the gang members time to dispose of evidence, with bodies "mutilated, burned and left in a public dump to the mercy of animals,” a statement read.
The UN report also called on Haitian authorities to investigate the violence and alleged complicity of the police and state officials.
La Saline, an impoverished area, is home to about 5,000 people. And it is frequently under threat of violence as gangs fight to control one of the largest markets of the city.
"The testimonies recorded suggest that the number of victims of the attacks of 13 and 14 November 2018 could be higher," said the report from the UN Mission in Haiti (UNMIH) and the High Commission for Human Rights.
Reports by the Haiti police and two human rights organisations suggested that some 70 people should be arrested for the incidents.
UN prepares to end its peacekeeping mission in Haiti in October after 15 years.
