Gangsters kill 12 in Haiti: Mayor

An official reported on Wednesday that gang members in Haiti killed 12 people and set houses on fire in a village close to the capital.

Several days ago, police and locals chased out criminals from the hamlet of Cabaret, north of Port-au-Prince, but they later came back and attacked on Tuesday night, according to Mayor Joseph Jeanson Guillaume.

"This morning we found several charred bodies," the mayor told AFP.

Strong and well-armed Gangs that rule a large portion of Haiti have been focusing on Cabaret for months.

The mayor claimed that because Cabaret is situated next to a busy road, attacks against it would interfere with business and traffic.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, formally requested international assistance in October to help it regain control but nothing has come of the appeal.