The interim mayor of Gros-Morne, in the Artibonite, is urging residents to leave the areas of the commune controlled by the Kokorat San Ras gang while security forces try to retake them.

“We are calling for the evacuation of residents living in the communal sections affected by this wave of insecurity,” Mayor Hubert Cénéac said. Armed groups threaten residents in six of the commune's eight sections, and many families have already fled to the town center.

Authorities have set up a base for the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force in Grépin, less than two miles west of Gros-Morne, in the Rivière-Blanche section, a Kokorat San Ras stronghold. Cénéac said local and departmental officials agreed on October 6 on a new security plan that includes a permanent military base in the commune.

Not everyone was informed. “As far as the police are concerned, we are unaware of this evacuation plan,” said Féquière Casséus, police spokesperson for the Artibonite.

The violence escalated after a police operation supported by the Gang Suppression Force on September 28. Early reports counted at least 14 dead. The mayor now puts the toll at no fewer than 34: 19 civilians and 15 suspected gang members. Four members of one family were among those killed in retaliation.

The gang has also tightened its hold on National Road 5, which links the Artibonite to the Northwest, driving up prices in Port-de-Paix and nearby towns.