Ex-Haitian Senator and Nephew Killed and Burned by Gang, Official says

Gangs in the capital of Port-au-Prince and beyond have become more powerful and waged violent turf wars since President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in July 2021.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A former senator who worked for the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor was killed in an upscale neighborhood near Haiti’s capital and his body set on fire along with his nephew, Government Commissioner Jacques Lafontant told The Associated Press on Sunday.

The bodies of Yvon Buissereth and his unidentified nephew were found Saturday afternoon in the community of Laboule. That is near Pelerin, where President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in his private home in July last year. Buissereth, director of Haiti’s Public Company for the Promotion of Social Housing, and his nephew were traveling in a government-issued vehicle and were found inside the charred car, Lafontant said. He said a gang trying to control the area is likely to blame. “It was a terrible incident,” he said. The Ti Makak gang, which means “Little Macaques,” is fighting with the Toto gang over control of that area. Gangs in the capital of Port-au-Prince and beyond have become more powerful and waged violent turf wars since Moïse was assassinated.