09/02/2026
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights confirmed Friday that at least 47 people were killed and 22 wounded in a gang assault on Kenscoff, the mountainous commune in the hills overlooking Port-au-Prince. Five of the dead were children, three boys and two girls. More than 52 people were abducted.
Spokesperson Marta Hurtado called the August 23–24 attack “a stark reminder of the persistent brutality of gang violence that is inflicted on local and displaced populations in Haiti.”
According to the UN human rights office, roughly 150 heavily armed members of the Viv Ansanm coalition stormed several localities near downtown Kenscoff that evening. They opened fire on residents fleeing through the streets, killing at least 13. Attackers then pursued more than 50 people who had taken refuge in a Protestant church. They forced them out and executed 22 in the church courtyard and 12 others behind the building. As they withdrew, they abducted 52 people, including children. In an audio message circulated the next day, a gang figure identifying himself as Izo 2 threatened to kill the hostages if security operations continued.
Haitian authorities have not matched the UN death toll. A justice of the peace and the Port-au-Prince prosecutor confirmed around 25 deaths in official counts, with additional people still missing. The Haitian National Police has not issued a precise figure. Local self-defense groups and police attempted to push the attackers back. Reinforcements, including armored vehicles, arrived after hours of fighting and helped regain the town center.
Residents and officials have questioned why security presence in Kenscoff had been reduced despite repeated alerts, including reports of gang reconnaissance drones weeks earlier. Kenscoff has been under regular attack since January 2025. An early-2025 wave of assaults killed more than 260 people over two months, according to UN figures, and forced thousands to flee. Mayor Jean Massillon said a July offensive left as many as 105 dead. Gangs have signaled they may next target Léogâne and Croix-des-Bouquets.
