The United Nations confirmed that at least 47 people were killed, more than 50 abducted, and 22 injured in a gang raid on the town of Kenscoff, near Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince. The attack, which occurred on the evening of August 23, is considered one of the largest mass kidnappings in Haiti in recent years, taking place as the country prepares for its first general election in over a decade.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the attack on August 26, stating it highlights “the alarming security situation in Haiti” and underscores the urgent need for intensified national and international security efforts to combat the gangs.
Kenscoff’s mayor, Jean Massillon, said armed assailants “spread chaos” by setting fire to homes and killing residents. The gunmen targeted a church and several houses, including the residence of Jean William Pape, a leading public health expert. Massillon blamed the attack on members of the Viv Ansanm group, an organization designated by the United States as a “foreign terrorist organization” last year.
Local residents have voiced outrage, demanding the resignation of the local police chief, accusing authorities of failing to protect people who were killed just a short distance from a police station. A resident named Marc Paul, 42, recounted that the gang abducted his brother, stepmother, stepfather, and two cousins. His 16-year-old niece was also taken and raped but managed to escape.
“I had to run through bodies,” Paul told the Associated Press, recalling his flight from the attack. Another resident, Coriolan Kendy, standing beside the body of his cousin covered in a blood-stained sheet on the road, told Reuters: “The people of Kenscoff are suffering, and the government is responsible.”
Haiti’s Prime Minister’s office condemned the attack as an “act of cruelty” and pledged to strengthen security, stating on social media: “The state will be restored, without weakness and without delay. Kenscoff will not be abandoned.”
In a video posted on social media, a gang leader threatened Vladimir Paraison, head of Haiti’s National Police. “Paraison, if any of our people are hurt, I will kill all of them,” he said, referring to the hostages. The man identified himself as Izo 2, linked to Izo (Johnson Andre), one of Haiti’s most powerful gang bosses.
Kenscoff, a hillside community strategically overlooking routes into the capital, has suffered dozens of attacks by armed gangs since last year, forcing thousands to flee their homes. Powerful gangs within a broader alliance have consolidated influence in Port-au-Prince and expanded into surrounding areas over the years, despite foreign efforts to bolster Haiti’s under-resourced police force.
