Gang attack in Kenscoff: at least 40 dead in displaced persons camp
Members of the Viv Ansanm coalition attacked a displaced persons camp in a church in Kenscoff, killing at least 40 people, leaving dozens wounded and several missing.
Massacre in Kenscoff: armed gangs strike displaced persons camp in church
Armed gang members attacked a camp of displaced persons sheltered in a church in Kenscoff, in the heights above Port-au-Prince, during the night from Sunday to Monday. According to aa.com.tr, the provisional death toll stands at least at around forty people, dozens wounded and several missing.
"We have counted around forty bodies. The searches are continuing. Some people are still reported missing," declared the commune's mayor, Massillon Jean, to local media, describing the event as a "night of terror".
The mayor specified that the attackers "made an incursion into a displaced persons camp located in a church", executing several people and carrying out abductions. The attack, carried out between Sunday evening and the early morning of Monday, also targeted homes in the neighbourhood, several of which were set on fire.
Among the destroyed houses is that of Haitian doctor and researcher Jean William "Bill" Pape, a recognised specialist in the fight against HIV and tuberculosis, who was out of the country at the time of the incident.
Diverging tolls, difficult access
The exact death toll remains provisional due to access and communication difficulties on the ground. The United Nations reports at least 47 dead and 22 wounded, whilst the Haitian human rights defence organisation RNDDH estimates the number of victims between 30 and 40 dead and 15 to 20 wounded.
Mayor Massillon Jean attributed the attack to the Viv Ansanm gang coalition, designated as a foreign terrorist organisation by the United States.
Residents demonstrated their anger on Monday, denouncing insufficient police protection, whilst the local police station is located only a few minutes away from the site of the attack.
Government response
In a statement, the office of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé expressed its "profound compassion" to the families of the victims and announced the sending of reinforcements to "restore security" in the area. "Kenscoff will not be abandoned," it stated.
Kenscoff, a strategic commune perched at approximately 1,500 metres altitude in the hills south-east of the capital, has regularly been the target of armed incursions since the beginning of 2025. The attacks have already caused several hundred deaths and forced thousands of residents to flee.
A crisis worsening
This fresh killing is part of a spiral of violence devastating Haiti for several years. Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, the country has been plunged into profound instability. Armed gangs, often grouped into coalitions, today control a large part of Port-au-Prince and are gradually extending their grip to outlying areas and strategic routes.
These groups are responsible for murders, kidnappings for ransom, rape, child recruitment and arson.
According to the United Nations, more than 3,100 people were killed and nearly 1,200 wounded between January and June 2026. The number of internally displaced people reached a record of approximately 1.5 million, representing nearly 13 per cent of the population. More than half of Haitians are suffering from food insecurity.
Politically, the country is run by a transitional government. General elections, long postponed, are announced for December 2026, but their holding remains uncertain due to persistent insecurity. An international mission in support of the Haitian police, mandated by the United Nations, is deployed but has not yet reached its full operational capacity.
Despite targeted sanctions and the designation of certain gangs as terrorist organisations by Washington, violence continues to spread and the civilian population pays the heaviest toll.
Source: Google News HT — Crime