Gang attack kills at least 40 in Haitian town near capital, mayor says
At least 40 people were killed in a gang attack on the Haitian town of Kenscoff, a mountainous community 10 kilometers south of the capital Port-au-Prince, local officials said on Monday.
Mayor Massillon Jean told AFP that gang members raided a displaced persons camp inside a church on Sunday night, executing several people and leaving dozens wounded. “We have counted around 40 bodies. Searches are continuing. Some people are still missing,” Jean said, describing the assault as “a night of terror.” He added that the attackers also set fire to numerous houses and abducted some residents.
Radio Télé Galaxie, citing Jean, reported at least 42 deaths, while other local media estimated the toll between 20 and 47. The mayor blamed members of the Viv Ansanm gang alliance, which the U.S. designated as a foreign terrorist organization last year. The assailants targeted the town center, a church sheltering displaced people, and other sites, according to reports.
Haiti’s transitional government confirmed the attack in a statement, calling it an “abhorrent criminal assault” and placing security forces on high alert. Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé expressed “deep compassion” for the victims’ families and announced reinforcements would be deployed to restore order. Police eventually repelled the attackers and regained control of the area, local media reported.
Kenscoff, a relatively affluent hillside suburb known for its cooler climate, has faced repeated gang incursions in recent months as armed groups seek to expand their control over routes into Port-au-Prince. Gangs now dominate more than 80% of the capital, according to U.N. figures, and have intensified violence across the country since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, which left Haiti without a head of state.
U.N. data shows that armed groups have killed 2,300 people in Haiti in the first five months of 2026, injured over 1,100, and kidnapped nearly 100. Nearly 1.5 million Haitians are internally displaced, and more than 5 million face severe food insecurity, according to U.N. estimates. Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has not held elections since 2016 but is scheduled to vote on Dec. 13.
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