Haitian gangs release 13 captives following mass kidnapping in Kenscoff

The attack in Kenscoff resulted in the deaths of at least 47 people and the kidnapping of more than 50, as gangs attempt to exert control in the area. The United Nations announced that six children and seven women kidnapped last week in the hillside community of Kenscoff, Haiti, have been released. In a statement late on Friday, representatives from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) used the news to highlight the ongoing crisis in Haiti and its impact on the youth. "This release offers a rare moment of hope amid the violence threatening children in Haiti," said Yannig Dussart, the group’s deputy representative in Haiti. "The Kenscoff abduction was not an isolated incident but another stark reminder of the scale and frequency of attacks on children across the country." The freed captives were part of one of the largest mass abductions in recent memory in Haiti. On the night of August 23, an estimated 150 armed gang members attacked Kenscoff, which overlooks the capital Port-au-Prince and the suburb of Petionville. Reports from the UN indicate that the armed attackers opened fire on residents in the streets and pursued some locals into a nearby Protestant church. Those who had taken shelter were forced outside, with some attempting to flee. The UN estimates that 22 were killed in the church’s courtyard, and another dozen behind the building. In total, at least 47 people were killed, and more than 50 were kidnapped, with an estimated 2,647 residents displaced from their homes, fleeing the violence for safety in neighboring communities. Some homes were set on fire. The victims of the August 23 attack contribute to the increasing death toll in Haiti, which has faced a rise in organized violence since the start of the decade. Armed groups have long been present in Haiti, the most impoverished country in the Western Hemisphere, but their influence has grown due to a series of natural disasters and other crises, including a cholera outbreak in 2010 linked to UN peacekeepers that killed over 10,000 people. Instability in the national government is believed to have allowed armed groups to gain control of parts of the country. In 2021, Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated, leading to Prime Minister Ariel Henry's leadership amid questions about his mandate. The last elected national figures, a group of senators, saw their terms expire in 2023, and the last presidential election was held in 2016. Henry resigned in 2024, leading to the formation of a short-lived Transitional Presidential Council, which dissolved this year before organizing a vote. A general election is currently scheduled for December after multiple postponements. As the national government struggles with legitimacy, armed groups have expanded their influence, with reports indicating that as much as 90 percent of Port-au-Prince had fallen under gang control. The violence has displaced approximately 1.47 million people in Haiti as of May. Between April and June, the UN reported 1,408 people killed and 656 injured due to gang violence. Advocates have warned that armed groups have utilized sexual violence as a means of control, with the UN documenting 326 instances of sexual violence during the same three-month period. Haitian police and international forces have attempted to address the crisis with limited success. In April, the first members of a UN-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF) arrived in Haiti to help dismantle the gangs and restore peace. However, following the mass kidnapping in Kenscoff, some gang members reportedly threatened on social media to execute captives if security operations against their organizations continued. The Haitian government pledged to increase forces in the Kenscoff area to restore order, stating, "All security forces are placed in a state of maximum alert." The prime minister’s office announced that reinforcements were deployed with clear orders to protect and secure the area. During an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, the special representative for the UN’s secretary-general in Haiti, called for the immediate and unconditional release of all abducted individuals, including women and children. "This massacre is deeply shocking. But it’s not an isolated tragedy," Ruiz Massieu stated. "It is the latest in a series of attacks affecting the community of Kenscoff since early 2025 and demonstrates the continued capacity and determination of gangs to terrorize the population, expand their influence beyond the capital, and pose a direct challenge to state authority."