Two Adventists Die in Escalating Gang Violence In Haiti
18 December 2024 |
In a recent report by the Inter-American Division,
“Two Seventh-day Adventist church members were tragically killed during a recent gang-led massacre that claimed over 180 lives in the Wharf Jérémie neighborhood of Cité Soleil, a densely populated commune in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. The attacks, which occurred between December 6-8, 2024, were part of a killing spree believed to be orchestrated by a powerful local gang leader, media outlets reported.”
Marcel Cangé, church elder of the Bérée Adventist Church in Cité Soleil and resident of Wharf Jérémie for 29 years, was preparing for Sabbath services on December 6, when he heard of the executions and fled home. This refuge was unfortunately short-lived, once three men forced him from his home before he was stabbed and burned to death.
The second victim is being referred to as Brother Dominique, in order to maintain anonymity. Though we know Brother Dominique was a church member of the Ephraim Adventist Church, the details surrounding his death are not being shared, other than another church member’s witnessing his death while he was on his way to Sabbath Services.
The gang-led mass murders were targeted towards over 100 elderly members who, according to the initial report, were “believed to have been blamed for the death of the gang leader’s child due to accusations of witchcraft.”
Church members caught in the attack have been mutilated and tortured, leading church members to live in fear as they try to stay hidden. Gang violence has been an epidemic within Haiti, with the United Nations recording over 5,000 gang-related deaths this year. Though the violence does not seem to be focused solely on Adventists, many Adventist congregations cannot worship, for fear of being attacked.
In the face of endless carnage, the churches in the area are attempting to remain active but vigilant, especially due to the Hatiain government’s public condemnation of such violence but practical inability to address the gangs’ rising control.