Haiti gang attack kills 47 and kidnaps more than 50 near Port-au-Prince

Armed gangs killed at least 47 people and kidnapped more than 50 others in an overnight attack on the Kenscoff neighbourhood overlooking Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the United Nations reported on August 25, 2026.

The assault began late on August 24. Residents and local officials said gunmen set fire to homes, targeted a church that sheltered displaced people, and executed civilians. At least five of the dead were children. The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti said the casualty figures could still rise.

Kenscoff Mayor Jean Massillon confirmed that two government employees were among the victims, including his own cousin who served as security detail. He blamed members of the Viv Ansanm alliance, which the United States has designated a foreign terrorist organisation.

A gang figure identifying himself as Izo 2, linked to the powerful leader Johnson André known as Izo, posted a video threatening to kill the hostages if Haitian police used drones or other force against gang members. The threat raised the stakes for any rescue attempt.

Kenscoff sits in a strategic position above routes into the capital. It has suffered more than a dozen attacks since last year. Thousands of residents have already fled earlier raids. The latest assault is the deadliest yet and the largest mass kidnapping recorded in Haiti in recent years.

Residents gathered around bodies covered in blood-stained sheets and demanded the resignation of the local police chief. They said officers failed to protect people killed only minutes from the police station. The national police remain outgunned and under-resourced despite international efforts to reinforce them.

Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé condemned the attack as heinous and said security forces were on highest alert with reinforcements being deployed. The United Nations-backed Gang Suppression Force is still building toward its authorised strength of more than 5,500 personnel.

Haiti has endured years of expanding gang control over Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas. Elections have been repeatedly delayed because of the security collapse. The latest raid shows that even communities once considered relatively safe remain vulnerable.

Humanitarian agencies warn that the combination of killings, abductions and arson will drive further displacement and deepen the humanitarian crisis. Food, medical care and basic security remain scarce for those who stay.

The United Nations and Haitian authorities continue to count the dead and try to locate the missing. No immediate breakthrough in the hostage situation has been reported.