Port-au-Prince Dozens of people swam and wading through Haiti’s longest river on Wednesday, desperately fleeing the gang, which launched a new attack on a city in the central region of the country, which has been besieged for nearly a week.

Bertide Horace, spokesman for the Dialogue, Reconciliation and Consciousness Committee, said that in the dawn era, the attacks in rural areas of Rivière began at dawn.

She told the Associated Press over the phone. “Some people are trapped in their homes and they can’t leave, and these guys will catch fire wherever they go.”

Videos posted on social media show people balancing their belongings or holding them high as they cross the Artibonite River. Several boats crossed the affordable boats of a few.

Horace accused the Gran Grif gang of ongoing attacks, adding that the Viv Ansanm gang alliance was providing reinforcements.

She said the gunmen first attacked Little Reville on April 24 and they had full control of the northern part of the town.

"The police are still fighting, but they have controlled much of the city," Horas said.

Several people were killed, including an 11-year-old, Horas said.

Gran Grif is the largest gang operating in the central Artibonite area. It is accused of killing more than 70 people in one of Haiti's latest history in October 2024 in the attack on the central town of Pont-Sondé.

According to a UN report, Gran Grif began arming young people in the region as former Parliamentary member Prophane Victor, representing Petite Rivière, a former member of the parliament.

According to the United Nations’ political mission in Haiti, the attack on Little Liver came weeks after Canaan and 400 Movorzo gangs attacked other towns in the Altibonite region.

The gang in late March captured most of Mirebalais’ control, where gunmen rushed into local prisons and released more than 500 prisoners. The gang also raided the nearby town of Saut d'Aea, which attracted thousands of Vodu-Catholic pilgrimages.

The UN mission said in a report released Wednesday that while the attack began on March 21, prompting residents to seek help on social media, the government did not deploy professional police departments until March 31.

In Mirebalais, at least 15 people were killed, including two Catholic nuns. Most people were shot in their homes or on the streets while trying to escape, the report said.

The UN mission noted that the Canaanian gang leader posted a video on social media on March 20 warning of the "imminent attack" against Mirebalais.

The mission said the gang worked to remove barriers erected by a self-defense group to stop gunmen from entering Mirbalay's heart and to stop the smuggling of weapons and drugs, presumably from the neighbouring Dominican Republic, which may have shared Hispanic islands with Heidi from the neighbouring Dominican Republic.

Overall, from January to March, more than 1,600 people were killed in Haiti, including at least 35 children. According to a UN report, another 850 people were injured. Most of the killing and injury are reportedly at the capital port port, 85% of which are controlled by gangs.

Gangs caused 35% of deaths and injuries, while police operations and executions were responsible for 56%. The rest is blamed on alert movement.

At least 161 people were kidnapped during this time frame, 63% of whom were reported in Artibonite, the report said.

Haiti's national police are fighting gangs with the help of an unsupported mission led by the Kenyan Police Department that was deployed last year. However, the mission has been struggling because it is underfunded and understaffed, with about 1,000 people out of 2,500.

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From the country of San Juan, Puerto Rico.