UN condemns new surge of gang violence in central Haiti

A powerful gang has taken over numerous communities in central Haiti in recent weeks, killing at least 69 people and forcing authorities to abandon several police stations, the United Nations said Friday.
An additional 83 people have been injured amid a surge in violence reported in the Artibonite Valley that officials blame on a local gang called “Baz Gran Grif,” which roughly translates into “Big Claw.”
The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti known as BINUH said the gang has “established a climate of terror, characterized by looting, assassinations, kidnappings, destruction, extortion, hijacking of goods and trucks and acts of rape on young girls and women.”