At least 47 people have been killed and more than 50 others taken hostage following a large-scale armed gang attack on the hillside community of Kenscoff, near the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, the United Nations confirmed on Tuesday. The assault, which took place on Sunday, is believed to be one of the largest mass kidnappings in the country in recent years, and a gang leader has since threatened to execute all hostages if any of his fighters are harmed by authorities.
The attack has shattered a fragile sense of optimism that security conditions in the troubled Caribbean nation were beginning to improve, and has drawn condemnation from UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
What Happened in Kenscoff
Armed men descended on Kenscoff — a community nestled in the mountains above Port-au-Prince — on Sunday, killing at least 47 residents and abducting more than 50 others. At least five of those killed were children, according to the UN Integrated Office in Haiti. Reports indicate that 22 of the victims were allegedly executed inside a church.
In a video posted to social media in the aftermath of the attack, a gang leader who identified himself as Izo 2 issued a direct threat to the director of Haiti's National Police, Vladimir Paraison. "Paraison, if any of our soldiers are hurt, I will kill all of them," he said, referring to the hostages. Izo 2 is also known as "Didi" and is understood to operate in Kenscoff on behalf of, and in coordination with, one of Haiti's most powerful gang figures, known as Izo, or Johnson André.
Among the victims' families is Kenscoff resident Marc Paul, 42, who said gangs took his brother, stepmother, stepfather and two cousins. His 16-year-old niece was also kidnapped and raped during the assault, though she was able to escape and has since been reunited with him. "I had to run over bodies," Paul said. "I can't sleep knowing all these people died." He expressed anguish over footage the gang posted online: "My brother is probably going to die."
His 17-year-old nephew, Kenson Paul, said he managed to escape. "They have not called us to let us know what they want," he said. "I worry for my family's life."
A Pattern of Escalating Violence
Sunday's assault was not the first time Kenscoff has been targeted. The community suffered its first major gang attack in January 2025, with sporadic violence continuing in the surrounding mountain areas since then. Marc Paul said his family had already been forced from their home during that earlier attack, but described Sunday's violence as far worse.
The latest strike is the largest and deadliest yet, and it comes as gang-related violence continues to be a defining crisis across the region. Residents took to the streets in protest, with some attempting to flip vehicles to block roads as they demanded police intervention.
Security and Political Implications
Security analysts say the attack carries significant strategic and political dimensions. Romain Le Cour, head of the Haiti Observatory at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, described it as "a major political and security test, for the government, for the police and for the international mission."
Le Cour warned that the hostage threat amounts to a deliberate trap for authorities. "If forces don't act, they've failed to protect them; if they do and hostages die, the gangs will blame the state," he said.
He also suggested the attack may be designed to stretch Haiti's already thin security resources. "They don't have enough personnel," he said. "If you force them to deploy more troops, it would inevitably be at the expense of other areas."
The timing is also notable. Haiti is preparing to hold its first general elections in more than a decade on December 13, and Le Cour believes the attack may be a deliberate message to the government. "The gangs are saying: when we choose to attack, we can, and we will succeed," he said.
