Gangs attack a neighborhood in Haiti that's home to the country's elite

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Heavily armed gangs in Haiti have attacked a neighborhood that's home to most of the country's elite and had been largely untouched by criminals, and police have demanded help repelling the assault that has killed at least 40 people.

''It's been eight days since Kenscoff has been under attack,'' Mayor Jean Massillon told The Associated Press on Monday. He blamed the attack on the Viv Ansanm gang coalition, with gunmen going home to home and indiscriminately opening fire.

''As we speak, they have surrounded the area,'' Massillon said as he called for reinforcements.

The dead include pastors, teachers and children, although the number is expected to be higher because authorities haven't been able to reach certain parts of the neighborhood, which is home to many politicians and business leaders.

Many victims are working-class people who tend crops on the outskirts of the neighborhood in the foothills of a mountain range.

Gangs already control 85% of Port-au-Prince, and the United Nations secretary-general warned last month they could overrun the capital.

The assault on Kenscoff occurred days after the government and police warned about imminent attacks in the capital, but the warnings did not say where they might occur.

Jean Bertho Valmo, a 45-year-old farmer who fled Kenscoff, told the AP that 12 members of one family were among the dead.

He said he woke to another round of gunfire before dawn Monday. He and his family sought shelter in the yard of the mayor's office along with dozens of others.

''There is not enough water and food for everyone,'' he said, and lamented the loss of his crops including cabbage, carrots and broccoli.

''I invested everything I had in them,'' Valmo said. ''The police, the government need to put a stop to this.''

The attack on Kenscoff that began Jan. 27 has left more than 1,660 people homeless, according to the International Organization for Migration on Monday.

Overall, gang violence has left more than 1 million people homeless across Haiti in recent years.

On Friday, one police union said the attack on Kenscoff ''could have been avoided if police had good equipment'' including a helicopter and an all-terrain vehicle, as well as funds to gather intelligence.

''Despite these bad conditions, our policemen are making tireless sacrifices, but we cannot tolerate the negligence of the authorities on what must be done to protect their lives and the safety of the population,'' the union, SPNH-17, said in a statement.

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Associated Press writer Dánica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico contributed.