PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — At least 47 people were killed and more than 50 others kidnapped after armed men attacked a once-peaceful community near Haiti’s capital earlier this week, the United Nations said Tuesday, reports BritPanorama.
The incident is believed to be one of the largest mass kidnappings in Haiti in recent years, as one gang leader threatened to kill the hostages if authorities harm any gang members while trying to secure the community nestled in the hills above Port-au-Prince.
Sunday’s attack on Kenscoff has shattered assertions that security in the troubled Caribbean nation was improving.
“This is a major political and security test for the government, for the police, and for the international mission alike,” said Romain Le Cour, head of Haiti Observatory at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. He highlighted the dilemma faced by authorities: doing nothing would be seen as failing to protect hostages, while action could lead to casualties, allowing gangs to blame the state.
A threat posted on social media
In a video shared on social media, the gang leader specifically threatened Vladimir Paraison, director of Haiti’s National Police. “Paraison, if any of our soldiers are hurt, I will kill all of them,” he stated, referring to the hostages.
The gang member, who identified himself as Izo 2, references one of Haiti’s most powerful gang leaders, Johnson André. Le Cour noted that Izo 2, also known as “Didi,” leads the armed group in Kenscoff and coordinates with Izo and other gang leaders. He suggested the attack on Sunday could be aimed at depleting police and U.N.-backed resources further.
“They don’t have enough personnel,” Le Cour insisted in a phone interview. “If you force them to deploy more troops, it would inevitably be at the expense of other areas.”
This assault might also serve as a demonstration of power to both the government and police as the country prepares for general elections on December 13, marking the first such event in over a decade.
“This is a message to the government and the police that their claims of protection do not match reality,” Le Cour asserted. “The gangs are saying: when we choose to attack, we can, and we will succeed.”
Attacks on Kenscoff have escalated
The initial significant attack on Kenscoff occurred in January 2025, with sporadic attacks in the surrounding mountains since then. However, Sunday’s onslaught marks the largest to date, with at least five of the victims confirmed as children, according to the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti, known as BINUH.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the violence, emphasizing that 22 of the victims were executed in a church compound where they had sought refuge. “The relentless gang attacks on communities and the loss of lives underscore the alarming security conditions in Haiti,” he said.
Kenscoff Mayor Jean Massillon told The Associated Press that gangs set fire to 25 homes and killed two government employees, including his cousin, who served as his security detail. “The atrocity of this crime reminds us that we have to continue working stronger every day to bring peace to the community,” Massillon said, expressing optimism that the state will continue efforts to eradicate gangs in Kenscoff.
Gangs are targeting Kenscoff due to its strategic position, allowing them to surround and control the upscale community of Pétion-Ville and alternate routes to Haiti’s southern region, according to María Fernanda Arocha, a researcher with the nonprofit Armed Conflict Location & Event Data.
Prior to the attack, security operations had managed to reduce violence in Kenscoff by 66% from January to August this year, Arocha noted. She observed, “While security forces have concentrated their efforts on operations aimed at regaining control in the central areas of Port-au-Prince, criminal groups have instead sought to expand into rural communities that are vulnerable due to the limited response capacity of the police.”
Haitians demand police protection
In the wake of the attack, some survivors have accused the government of insufficient protection, a claim that Haiti’s National Police have rejected. Le Cour commented that if police and armored vehicles were present in Kenscoff before the attack, the implications are concerning: “You let the gangs come in even if you had everything in place?”
Currently, armed groups are thought to control approximately 70% of Port-au-Prince and various regions of Haiti. Gang violence has displaced a record 1.5 million people, with over 3,050 reported killed and 1,400 injured between January and June, according to U.N. statistics released Tuesday.
The U.N. also reported nearly 800 rapes between April and June, with 87% involving collective assaults. Furthermore, at least 81 kidnapping incidents were documented during the same timeframe, a figure that does not fully encompass the total, as many families opt for direct negotiations with kidnappers instead of involving authorities.
The number of kidnappings reported from April to June reflects a more than 40% surge compared with the previous quarter. Such chaotic conditions continue to permeate daily life in Haiti, raising pressing questions about effective governance and security in the face of rising gang dominance.
