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.

Haiti has been reeling from a worsening conflict for years, where armed gangs control most of the capital Port-au-Prince and other regions where they indulge in kidnappings, rapes, murders and more. The gang shot people and set fire to dozens of homes and vehicles on Thursday.