Gangs have attacked another town in Haiti\u2019s central region, killing at least four people, including an 11-year-old child, a human rights activist told The Associated Press on Monday. <\/p>\n
At least 15 other people were injured by gunfire, and more than a dozen homes were burned in Petite Rivi\u00e8re, said Bertide Horace, spokesperson for the Commission for Dialogue, Reconciliation and Awareness to Save the Artibonite. <\/p>\n
The attack began Thursday, but police were still battling gang members on Monday, she said in a phone interview. <\/p>\n
Horace shared grisly videos that showed people receiving treatment for serious wounds at a local hospital. <\/p>\n
Before she could provide further details, Horace warned that the town being attacked was without power. Her cellphone was then cut off. <\/p>\n
A spokesperson for Haiti\u2019s National Police did not immediately return a request for comment. <\/p>\n
Petite Rivi\u00e8re is the latest community in the once peaceful Artibonite region that gangs have targeted. <\/p>\n
In late March, gangs struck the city of Mirebalais and stormed a local prison, freeing more than 500 inmates. They also attacked the nearby town of Saut d\u2019Eau, considered a sacred place that attracts thousands of Haitians annually for a Vodou-Catholic pilgrimage. <\/p>\n
While gangs control at least 85% of Port-au-Prince, Haiti\u2019s capital, they have launched attacks in the country\u2019s central region in recent years. <\/p>\n
On Monday, Chrisla, the powerful leader of the Ti Bois gang, announced a three-day strike in the Port-au-Prince neighborhood of Carrefour, which has been bereft of any government presence since gangs seized control of it in recent years. <\/p>\n
He ordered public transportation and private businesses to close, saying only hospitals and firefighters were authorized to operate. <\/p>\n
Chrisla also said he wanted a new Haiti \u201cso that we can all sit at the same table to reconcile this nation.\u201d <\/p>\n
Haiti\u2019s government leaders have repeatedly said they would not negotiate with gangs or include them in any discussions aimed at helping stabilize the troubled country. <\/p>\n
A UN-backed mission led by Kenyan police that began last year to help Haitian police quell violence has struggled in its fight against gangs. <\/p>\n
More than 5,600 people were killed across Haiti last year, with gang violence leaving more than one million people homeless. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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