International

More than 20 dead and 15 injured in an attack by an armed gang in Haiti

More than 20 people died and at least 15 were injured in an attack by the Gran Grif armed gang in the town of Pont Sonde in Haiti, local sources reported on Thursday.

It is not ruled out that the number of victims will increase after the incursion led this morning by the Gran Grif gang, based in the town of Savien (Petite Riviere, Artibonite), and that has forced the population of the affected area to flee en masse and take refuge in the public square of the city of Saint-Marc.

The injured are receiving treatment in health centers, especially at the Saint Nicolas de Saint-Marc hospital, a town located a hundred kilometers from Port-au-Prince.

Since this morning, the armed group controls the Pont Sonde area, in the Haitian department of Artibonite.

Violence is on the rise in Haiti

Faced with this situation, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security announced that the corresponding instructions have been given to the National Police of Haiti in order to “re-establish order and knock out all those who sow terror in the department of Artibonite.”

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“These crimes will not go unpunished. The perpetrators and their accomplices will be persecuted to the last trench,” according to a statement from that ministry, which reiterates its determination to take “all the necessary measures to restore peace to the country and so that the population can freely dedicate themselves to their activities.”

This attack comes a few days after the sanctions announced by the United States and the UN against the leader of the Great Griffin, known as Luckson Elan.

Haiti suffers from extreme violence from armed gangs, which has led thousands of people to leave their homes to escape insecurity.

More than 700,000 internal refugees

According to the latest report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 700,000 people – more than half of them children – are currently internally displaced in Haiti.

The latest figures show a 22% increase in the number of internally displaced people since June, with a consequent worsening of the humanitarian situation.

In the last seven months, gang violence has forced more than 110,000 people to leave their homes, especially in Gressier, west of the capital.

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The majority of the displaced in Haiti, about 75%, are currently refugees in the country’s provinces, and the Greater South region alone welcomes 45% of all these people.

In a recent report, the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) indicated that at least 1,379 people were victims of armed gang violence in Haiti, between deaths and injuries, during the second quarter of 2024, bringing the number of victims to almost 3,900 in the first half of the year.

International

Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.

During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.

“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.

“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”

Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.

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On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.

International

Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition

he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.

Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.

The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”

International

Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may

The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.

The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”

The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”

Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.

The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.