Haiti: Two Religious Sisters Murdered by Criminal Gangs

"I no longer know how many times the Church has called on the international community," laments Bishop Jean Désinord of Hinche, somewhat overwhelmed by the deadly gang violence raging in his country.

Barbaric attacks are intensifying in several neighborhoods of the Haitian capital, as well as in the town of Mirebalais, where, on the night of Monday, March 31, to Tuesday, April 1, "groups of heavily armed individuals terrorized the population with unbearable violence," reports a press release from the Bishopric of Hinche.

The two sisters of the Little Sisters of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Sisters Evanette Onezaire and Jeanne Voltaire, were killed on Monday as the town of Mirebalais was the target of armed attacks by the criminal coalition Viv Ansanm, which also attacked businesses, police stations, and even a prison, freeing 500 inmates.

According to local media, the two sisters worked at the Mirebalais school. "When the gangs arrived, the frightened sisters took refuge with neighbors," says Bishop Jean Désinord. It was in this house that they were murdered along with other occupants. We're talking about 6 to 7 people, and to date, the bodies have not been recovered."

About a year ago, he continues, Mirebalais faced two attempted attacks, but the gangs then gave in to the residents' resistance. Since then, they have entered the town "with much more force, using other strategies," the bishop laments. They infiltrated for weeks "and then attacked the town while reinforcements were arriving," he explains.

To date, the situation in Mirebalais appears tragic. The government's departmental delegate in the region, Frédérique Occéan, stated that rotting corpses cover the town's streets, spreading a nauseating stench. Municipal authorities are absent, and many residents have fled.

Haitian media also reported that armed gangs had targeted the Mirebalais University Hospital. Thousands of people took to the streets of the capital to protest the worsening situation and the increase in gang attacks.

According to the UN, violence left more than 5,600 dead in Haiti last year (a thousand more than in 2023), more than 2,000 injured, and approximately 1,500 kidnapped.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights indicated, a few hours after the violence began in Mirebalais, that at least 4,239 people had been murdered and 1,356 injured in Haiti between July 2024 and February 2025 using weapons smuggled from abroad.