Haitian community leader found dead after abduction
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In Haiti, Willard Vancol, founder of the Plataforma Haitiana de Defesa para um Desenvolvimento Alternativo (Papda), was found murdered on September 9th after being abducted three weeks prior by the Viv Ansanm gang.
Vancol had worked for 40 years with peasant organizations, focusing on popular education and communication. He coordinated a community radio station and the Gressier Training Center, a five-hectare facility located 16 kilometers southwest of Port-au-Prince.
The town of Gressier had experienced repeated attacks from gangs since July, resulting in at least 20 deaths and forcing hundreds of families to flee their homes. On August 20th, the Iteca institute, where Vancol worked, was invaded and looted, and Vancol was taken during the attack while other workers escaped. Papda described Vancol as a “Haitian patriot” who dedicated his life to defending the rights of ordinary people.
Residents of Boukan, the neighborhood where the Iteca center is located, remembered Vancol as a community leader who brought hope to farmers. International organizations, including Alba Movimentos, condemned his death as a blow to the Haitian people’s fight for dignity and sovereignty.
