A massacre inside a church has left at least 40 people dead after a ‘night of terror’ saw gang members attack displaced people huddling inside the religious building.
The brutal attack occurred on Sunday in the town of Kenscoff, Haiti in the hills above the capital.
Mayor Massillon Jean described execution-style killings in a town plagued by gang violence since last year.
He said: ‘We have counted around 40 bodies. Searches are continuing. Some people are still missing.
‘The bandits raided a displaced persons camp located in a church. They executed several people. There are fatalities and dozens of wounded. Some people were abducted by the criminals.’
Jean added that among other places the assailants targeted a site housing people who had already fled violence.
The UN have estimated a total death toll of at least 47 victims and 22 more injured in the overnight gang raid. They added that figures could change.
In a statement issued after the attack, the office of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime expressed ‘deep compassion’ for the bereaved families and all the victims of the ‘heinous attack’.
The government also announced that reinforcements would be sent to restore security in the area.
A massacre inside a church has left at least 40 people dead after a ‘night of terror’ saw gang members attack displaced people huddling inside the religious building
The brutal attack occurred on Sunday in the town of Kenscoff, Haiti in the hills above the capital
Mayor Massilon Jean described execution-style killings in a town plagued by gang violence since last year
‘Kenscoff will not be abandoned,’ he added. ‘The government’s authority will be restored, without weakness and without delay.’
Powerful gangs under a broad alliance have for years cemented their influence over Haiti’s capital and expanded to nearby regions, despite attempts by foreign nations to reinforce the country’s outgunned police.
Attacks in Kenscoff over two months in early 2025 saw more than 260 people killed and 200 homes destroyed or set on fire, forcing 3,000 people to flee, according to U.N. estimates.
Nearly a dozen more attacks have taken place since, including rapes, kidnapping, arson and livestock theft.
Several locals accused the government of not doing enough to help protect residents amid the ongoing gang violence.
‘My family are victims,’ said Coriolan Kendy, standing by his cousin’s body, lying on the road in a blood-stained sheet.
‘People in Kenscoff are suffering and the government is to blame.’
Another resident, Orisme, who did not share his last name, pleaded for the prime minister’s support.
‘We live in humiliation and they do nothing for us,’ he said.
Some residents said several dozen police had tried to rebuff the armed men during the night, and some were injured. They added that they did not identify gang members among the dead.
People mourn over the bodies of people they said were their relatives and killed in the gang attack
Kenscoff, a mountainous municipality southeast of the Haitian capital, has for several months been the scene of clashes and incursions by armed groups seeking to expand their control
Nearly 1.5 million Haitians are currently displaced in a country of about 11 million, and more than five million are facing severe food insecurity, according to UN figures
Several locals accused the government of not doing enough to help protect residents amid the ongoing gang violence
Local media said several houses were set on fire, including the home of Jean William Pape, a leading public health expert.
‘The police never gave up,’ national police chief Vladimir Paraison told reporters during a visit to Kenscoff later in the day.
Kenscoff, a mountainous municipality southeast of the Haitian capital, has for several months been the scene of clashes and incursions by armed groups seeking to expand their control.
Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has for years suffered from chronic political instability, natural disasters, corruption and violence from powerful gangs that carry out rampant killings, rapes, looting and kidnappings.
Nearly 1.5 million Haitians are currently displaced in a country of about 11 million, and more than five million are facing severe food insecurity, according to UN figures.
The crisis worsened in early 2024, when gangs launched a wave of violence that forced the unelected prime minister to resign.
Haiti has not held any kind of election since 2016. Its last president, Jovenel Moise, was assassinated in July 2021 and not replaced.
A general election is scheduled for December of this year.
