Armed men attacked Kenscoff in the hills near Port-au-Prince, killing at least 47 people and abducting more than 50, according to the United Nations. The assault was described as one of Haiti’s largest mass kidnappings in recent years and the most extensive attack on Kenscoff since gang violence first surged there in January 2025.
At least five children were among the dead, the UN Integrated Office in Haiti said. Secretary-General António Guterres reported that 22 victims were apparently executed inside a church compound where they had sought protection. Kenscoff Mayor Jean Massillon said armed groups burned 25 homes and killed two government workers, including a cousin assigned to his security detail.
A man calling himself Izo 2 posted a video threatening to kill the captives if gang members were harmed during security operations. Romain Le Cour of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime said Izo 2 was also known as Didi and led an armed group in Kenscoff in coordination with powerful gang leader Johnson André, known as Izo, and others.
Residents described multiple relatives being taken. Marc Paul, 42, said his brother, stepmother, stepfather and two cousins were kidnapped. He said his 16-year-old niece escaped after being abducted and raped. His nephew Kenson Paul, 17, also escaped and said the family had received no demand from the attackers.
Le Cour said the threat placed security forces in a dangerous bind: avoiding action could leave captives unprotected, while an operation followed by hostage deaths could be blamed on the state. He suggested the attack might be intended to stretch already limited police and UN-backed personnel or to demonstrate gang power ahead of general elections planned for December 13.
Haiti’s National Police rejected residents’ claims that it had failed to provide protection. Director Vladimir Paraison ordered an investigation into possible negligence or complicity and sent more specialised units to Kenscoff. The packet did not provide findings from that inquiry.
The location is strategically significant because control of Kenscoff can pressure Pétion-Ville and routes between the capital and southern Haiti, according to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data researcher María Fernanda Arocha. She said security operations had reduced violence in Kenscoff by 66 percent between January and August before this assault.
UN figures cited in the report estimated that armed groups controlled 70 percent of Port-au-Prince. Gang violence had displaced a record 1.5 million people, while more than 3,050 killings were reported nationwide from January through June. Those broader figures underscore the security crisis but are separate from the August 23 toll.
