International
At least 66 people died or disappeared between January and July in the capital of Haiti
At least 66 people died or disappeared in the towns of Gressier and Carrefour, south of the capital of Haiti, between January and July of this year, in attacks perpetrated by armed gangs, according to a report by the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (Rnddh) published this Friday.
Among the victims are four agents of the Haitian National Police (PNH), fifteen women and a minor, according to the report, which also reveals that twelve of the victims were between 60 and 80 years old.
The document emphasizes that armed bandits wear police uniforms, move with their firearms in vehicles and motorcycles equipped with police sirens, and demand that local residents pay them a periodic sum based on the number of people who live in the houses or who perform an income-generating activity.
“Police interventions to regain control of these two towns are very few and so far have not yielded any results,” denounced Rnddh, who maintains that the relatives of these victims and witnesses have described the horror they have experienced in a context marked by a marked deterioration of the situation in this depressed Caribbean country.
Hundreds of homes were looted, set on fire or illegally occupied, while vehicles have been stolen or burned and goods have been destroyed, according to the report on the situation.
At least 12 tolls have been installed at the southern entrance of Port-au-Prince, from Portail de Léogane to Gressier, and armed bandits have established a daily collection system in at least six markets.
Dozens of women and girls raped them in a group. The NGO was able to locate 46 survivors of rape, including three minors.
Some of these victims were raped in their homes and then had to flee after witnessing the murder of a relative.
Others kidnapped them in their homes and taken them to places where they were received naked men, who waited for them to rape them in a group for several hours or days.
“During these rapes, women and girls were also interrogated, severely beaten and insulted” by members of armed gangs, Rnddh’s investigation adds.
Since the end of October 2023, Carrefour and Gressier have been experiencing unprecedented armed violence, characterized by massacres and armed attacks perpetrated by the bandits.
It is also characterized by rapes and collective violations, robberies, looting, house fires, decapitalization of merchants and massive displacement of the population, a situation that has worsened this year.
The Transitional Presidential Council and the Superior Council of Police, chaired by the Prime Minister, Gary Conille, have promised to restore order and security in the area and affirm that security is a priority, however, they absorb a very important part of the agents for their personal safety and that of their families, to the detriment of the community, the report criticizes.
He also affirms that the agents of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MMAS), headed by Kenya and deployed since June, do nothing to help the population suffering from the acts of armed bandits, despite the fact that their mission is to help restore security and peace in the country in general and in the departments of Ouest and Artibonite, especially affected by the phenomenon of armed gangs.
Faced with the inaction of the Government and the MMAS, the armed bandits “gain in confidence and arrogance” and “enlag their territory,” he said.
The Haitian people “continue to be victims of systematic violations of their fundamental rights to life, freedom and security, physical integrity, psychological integrity, private property and freedom of movement,” the NGO denounces.
“And it is not surprising that the hopes placed by this population in the new authorities and in the arrival of the MMAS agents are already beginning to crumble,” he concluded.
International
Suspect Armed With Shotgun and Knives Detained at White House Correspondents Dinner
U.S. authorities confirmed Saturday that the suspect who stormed into the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner while President Donald Trump was attending acted alone, adding that there is no ongoing threat to the public following the incident, which left one Secret Service agent injured.
Acting Metropolitan Police Department chief Jeff Carroll said during a press conference that the suspect was carrying “a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives” when he attempted to pass through a Secret Service security checkpoint inside the hotel lobby at approximately 8:36 p.m. local time.
“At this point, everything indicates that this was a lone actor, a lone gunman,” Carroll stated, adding that investigators have found no preliminary evidence suggesting the involvement of additional suspects.
During the exchange of gunfire inside the hotel corridors, the suspect was not struck by bullets but was subdued by law enforcement officers and later transported to a hospital for medical evaluation.
A member of the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division was shot during the incident, though the bullet was stopped by the officer’s ballistic vest, preventing serious injuries. The agent was taken to a hospital and is reportedly “in good spirits,” according to Carroll.
The shooting prompted the immediate evacuation of President Trump, Melania Trump, and several senior officials attending the event after multiple gunshots were heard outside the hotel’s main ballroom.
International
U.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense
Until now, the U.S. administration had blocked the Venezuelan government from covering the legal fees of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who is also jailed and facing drug trafficking charges, due to international sanctions imposed on Venezuela.
The couple’s legal team had relied on that argument in an attempt to have the indictment dismissed, claiming that preventing a defendant from accessing counsel of their choice violates rights guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
However, the U.S. Treasury Department will now allow “defense attorneys to receive payments from the Government of Venezuela under certain conditions,” New York prosecutor Jay Clayton wrote in a letter dated Friday to Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is overseeing the case.
According to the letter, the funds must have become available after March 5, 2026, and cannot come from Venezuelan oil sales regulated in the United States.
Since Maduro’s removal from power in early January, former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has served as Venezuela’s interim leader.
The United States effectively controls Venezuelan crude exports, with revenues deposited into special accounts supervised by Washington.
Court documents filed on Friday show that the defense acknowledged the sanctions exemption and, for now, withdrew its motion seeking dismissal of the charges.
International
U.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico
The United States Department of State announced sanctions on Thursday against 23 individuals and companies allegedly linked to an international fentanyl production and smuggling network operating in India, Guatemala and Mexico.
According to the State Department, the network supplied precursor chemicals to the Sinaloa Cartel, which the United States has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Washington declared fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, a weapon of mass destruction last year due to its role in the ongoing overdose crisis in the United States.
“By targeting the entire supply chain — from chemical suppliers in Asia to logistical intermediaries in Central America and cartel-linked networks in Mexico — the Trump Administration is dismantling networks that destabilize governance across our hemisphere and threaten U.S. security,” the State Department said.
In a separate statement, the Office of Foreign Assets Control detailed sanctions against three Indian chemical and pharmaceutical companies: Sutaria, Agrat and SR Chemicals, along with a sales executive accused of supplying precursor chemicals to contacts in Guatemala and Mexico.
In Guatemala, authorities sanctioned J and C Import and Central Logística de Servicios, as well as intermediary Jaime Augusto Barrientos.
The OFAC also designated several intermediaries and import companies operating in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.
As part of the investigation, U.S. authorities identified Ramiro Baltazar Félix as a member of Los Mayos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, and Alejandro Reynoso, accused of operating clandestine drug laboratories in Guadalajara.
Suspect Armed With Shotgun and Knives Detained at White House Correspondents Dinner
U.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense
U.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico
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