Haiti police name ex-senator among suspects facing arrest over deadly gang attacks

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Authorities in Haiti have issued more than a dozen arrest warrants against suspects accused of backing gang members that have been attacking a peaceful community near the capital for the past three weeks.

Dozens of people have been killed in Kenscoff this month, including three police officers and one soldier, police spokesman Lionel Lazarre said Tuesday at a press conference.

Among those accused of plotting against the government and backing the gangs is former Senator Nenel Cassy and former Kenscoff legislator Alfredo Antoine, Lazarre said. Neither could not be immediately reached for comment.

Among the victims of the attacks was a two-month-old baby, according to the Cooperative for Peace and Development, a local human rights group who called for the creation of a special international criminal tribunal to try all those accused of killing thousands of people, including children, across Haiti in recent years.

“Road access is very difficult where the gangs are located, but that’s not going to stop us from fighting against them,” said Lazarre, adding that “a lot” of gang members have been killed in the attacks. He did not provide details.

Gangs control 85% of the capital Port-au-Prince and in recent months have launched attacks on previously peaceful communities in a bid to seize more territory.

More than 5,600 people were reported killed in Haiti last year, with gang violence leaving more than one million people homeless in recent years, according to the United Nations.