Bar association president shot in Cap-Haïtien, allegedly for opposing land grabs

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CAP-HAITIEN — Gunmen on a motorcycle shot and killed Ronel Telsyde, president of Haiti’s Federation of Bar Associations, on Monday, in what a close associate said may be linked to his opposition to an alleged land dispute in Quartier-Morin.

“They tried to kill him,” said Plauguste ‘Plug’ Carcéus, a renowned attorney who spoke with Telsyde after the shooting. 

“It’s over land, over people stealing lands,” Carcéus explained. “He’s fighting against people stealing land, so they attempted to kill him.”

Local police have not yet commented on the shooting, which happened around 6 p.m. in the Babiole area. As of Tuesday, Telsyde had undergone surgery and was recovering at home.

Telsyde has been a vocal opponent of alleged land grabs in Quartier-Morin, a commune located about 26 miles southeast of Cap-Haïtien with numerous unoccupied tracts of land. In October 2024, Telsyde publicly accused Pierrot Augustin, then a Northern Department Delegate, of seizing land in the area.  Soon after, armed men claiming to be part of Haiti’s Protected Areas Security Brigade (BSAP), which is a controversial agency, entered the commune. They occupied more land and harassed residents, prompting BSAP to warn authorities about individuals posing as agents in the area.

The shooting comes at a tense time for residents in the north region. They are still mourning the tragic deaths of 25 people in nearby Milot over the weekend. News of the attack has raised concern, especially within the legal community.

“As a law student, it’s frustrating seeing this happen to people who are at the highest level,” Upsendy Dorsainvil, a fifth-year law student at Antenor Firmin University, said. “So, for you coming up, you ask yourself, ‘are you going to be safe?’”

Telsyde was also the head of the Cap-Haïtien bar from 2023 to 2025. 

Last month, a video of Telsyde riding a motorcycle in downtown Cap-Haïtien circulated widely on social media. In the video, he appeared to be bragging about being un-intimidated.

“I can cruise in the city anytime I want,” Telsyde said in the video. “Not just anyone can do that.”

His shooting recalls previous attacks on officials in  Cap-Haïtien. In Feb. 2023, police officers assaulted then Cap-Haïtien’s city attorney, Charles Edouard Durand, near his home, repeatedly banging his head on a wall.

In January 2024, gunmen on a motorcycle fatally shot Dr. Claude Joazard, Haiti’s then vice-consul in Dajabón. Joazard was driving in Madeline, a Cap-Haitien suburb, when the shooting occurred. A woman who was in the vehicle was injured.

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