A gang leader said the bloodshed was meant to cut the capital off from a rice-growing region of Haiti amid starvation conditions.

Haiti’s Catholic Church has long been a powerful voice. But in recent years, the institution and its leaders have taken a step back from the spotlight as armed gangs target both members and religious leaders: Priest and nuns have been kidnapped, and church property, including hospitals and schools, have been ransacked.

Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille embarked on a trip to the United Arab Emirates and Kenya on Saturday to seek security assistance in the aftermath of one of deadliest gang attacks in the Caribbean nation in recent years.