Pont-Sondé

Pont-Sondé (French pronunciation: [pɔ̃ sɔ̃de], Haitian Creole: Ponsonde) is a town in the communal section of Bocozelle in the Saint-Marc commune, in the Artibonite department of Haiti.^[1][2]

Pont-Sondé
Town
Pont-Sondé Location in Haiti
Coordinates: 19.1493°N 72.6147°W / 19.1493; -72.6147
Country	Haiti
Department	Artibonite
Arrondissement	Saint-Marc
Population  (2010)
• Total	10,000

Location

Located within the Saint-Marc Arrondissement, Pont-Sondé is located at an important crossroads on the road linking the capital Port-au-Prince to the second largest city of Cap-Haïtien on the northern coast.^[3]

History

When the Haitian national highway was constructed in 1880, a bridge spanning 90 metres (300 ft) across the Artibonite River was built. The settlement of Pont-Sondé then developed around this bridge.^[3]

Pont-Sonde had about ten thousand inhabitants before the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Since then, the village has hosted a large influx of refugees.

In September 2024, during the Gang war in Haiti, personnel from the Anti-Gang Tactical Unit and the Departmental Operations and Intervention Brigade were deployed to Pont-Sondé.^[4] Despite this, the town was attacked by the Grand Grif gang on 3 October 2024, leaving at least 115 people dead.^[5]

Economy

Pont-Sondé is the leading producer of rice in Haiti. There is an important market which is held along the road and on the bridge over the Artibonite.^[3]