A gruesome hours-long gang attack in Haiti a couple of days ago left dozens dead, torching homes and cars, while forcing thousands more to run for their lives, in the latest blow to a country that has suffered extreme violence for years.

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

The surprise attack happened in the early morning hours Thursday in Pont-Sondé, whose residents had been trying to defend themselves against the Gran Grif gang. It is raising questions about the effectiveness of a Kenya-led international force and the Haitian government to the country’s ongoing violence.