At least 47 people were killed and more than 50 others were taken hostage during a violent gang assault on the community of Kenscoff, located in the hills above Port-au-Prince, according to the United Nations. The weekend attack has shattered the perception that security conditions in Haiti were stabilizing.
A gang leader, who identified himself as Izo 2, issued a threat on social media to kill the hostages if authorities harm any gang members during efforts to secure the area. The individual, also known as Didi, reportedly operates a franchise cell for larger armed groups, acting in coordination with powerful gang figures like Izo, also known as Johnson André. In a video message, the leader warned Vladimir Paraison, the director of Haiti’s national police, against using drones to target the gangs, stating, "Paraison, if any of our soldiers are hurt, I will kill all of them."
Romain Le Cour, head of the Haiti observatory at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, described the event as a significant test for the government, the police, and international missions. He suggested that the attack might be intended to stretch thin the limited resources of the police and UN-backed suppression forces. Furthermore, the incident serves as a show of force ahead of the general elections scheduled for 13 December, the first to be held 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 noted.
Among the victims were at least five children, according to the UN integrated office in Haiti, known as BINUH. Kenscoff’s mayor, Jean Massillon, confirmed that two government employees were killed, including his own cousin who served as his security detail. Massillon added that members of the Viv Ansanm gang coalition—a group designated by the US as a foreign terrorist organisation—set fire to 25 homes during the raid. While some survivors criticized the government for failing to provide adequate protection, the police have rejected these allegations.
The attack on Kenscoff is the largest in a series of incidents that have occurred in the surrounding mountains since January 2025. Currently, armed gangs maintain control over an estimated 70% of Port-au-Prince and significant portions of Haiti’s central region. UN statistics released on Tuesday indicate that gang violence has displaced a record 1.5 million people nationwide, with more than 3,050 people reported killed and another 1,400 injured between January and June of this year.
