Thousands of Haitians mark annual pilgrimage far from a sacred waterfall surrounded by gangs
HAITI, JUL 16 – The annual pilgrimage was moved due to gang violence controlling Saut-d'Eau, with over 4,800 deaths reported in Haiti this year, according to the United Nations.
- On Wednesday, several thousand pilgrims scaled a steep hill to honor Erzulie Dantor and the Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, gathering in Port-au-Prince instead of at Saut-d’Eau’s waterfall.
- Amid early April unrest in Saut-d’Eau, the Canaan gang led by Jeff Larose attacked on March 31, and returned in early April with over 500 fighters, forcing residents to flee.
- The small church in Port-au-Prince burst at its seams with worshippers, while videos showed Jeff Larose inside Saut-d’Eau’s main church amid the pilgrimage.
- Due to ongoing gang violence, the town remains under gang control, preventing thousands from the traditional pilgrimage, as gang violence has killed at least 4,864 people from October to June.
- In recent years, displacement has worsened, with gang violence displacing over 1.3 million people in Haiti, according to Daniel Jean-Marcel.
21 Articles
21 Articles

Thousands of Haitians mark annual pilgrimage far from a sacred waterfall surrounded by gangs
Thousands have been forced to forgo an annual pilgrimage to a revered waterfall in central Haiti, now in territory held by gangs, where they would splash among sacred waters and rub their bodies with aromatic leaves.
The crowd that used to gather once a year in a revered waterfall in central Haiti, where the faithful bathed in its sacred waters and rubbed their bodies with aromatic leaves, did not gather there on Wednesday.
TeachBeyond Boosts Food Access for Haitians Amid Crisis
One in five Haitians faces a food emergency today, with more than 8,400 risking starvation. The problem, however, is not a shortage of supplies, according to David Durance of the educational ministry TeachBeyond. “It’s not that there’s a shortage of food, but there’s a shortage of access to food,” he said. “The problem is actually getting food to the right people and right moment. One of the challenges is when the unrest really hits, it doesn’t …
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium