Police in Haiti have apprehended a former legislator who has long been suspected of arming gangs in the central region of the country. The ex-member of Parliament, representing the Petite Riviere community in the Artibonite region, was taken into custody in Port-au-Prince on Sunday, as confirmed by Haiti’s National Police.
The arrested individual, Prophane Victor, has faced accusations of colluding with gang members in Artibonite, particularly in the Savien community. A former gang leader has reportedly implicated Victor multiple times in supporting criminal activities in the region.
A U.N. report from last year revealed that Victor had armed young men in Petite Riviere to ensure his election victory in 2016. These individuals later formed the Gran Grif gang, which became the largest gang in Artibonite.
However, tensions arose between Victor and Gran Grif in 2020 due to unmet promises made during the election campaign. Subsequently, Victor was accused of backing rival gangs, leading to his sanctions by both Canada in June 2023 and the U.S. in September 2024 for allegedly supporting groups involved in severe human rights violations.
In a tragic turn of events, the Gran Grif gang was implicated in a mass killing in October, where numerous individuals lost their lives in one of the most significant massacres in recent Haitian history. The massacre took place in the Pont-Sonde community within the Artibonite region.
