Six children and seven women abducted during the Kenscoff massacre in the hills above Port-au-Prince have been released. The UN welcomes this outcome while warning of the severity of the security crisis ravaging the country.
The announcement came late Friday evening. The United Nations confirmed the release of thirteen people (six children and seven women) kidnapped during the armed attack that struck the community of Kenscoff on the night of August 23. UNICEF, which relayed the news, was careful to place this event in a more somber context.
“This release offers a rare moment of hope amid the violence that threatens children in Haiti,” said Yannig Dussart, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Haiti. “Kenscoff’s abduction was not an isolated incident, but a stark reminder of the scale and frequency of attacks against children across the country.”
On the night of August 23, some 150 armed gang members stormed Kenscoff, a town perched in the hills overlooking Port-au-Prince and the suburb of Pétion-Ville. The assailants opened fire on residents in the streets before chasing some of them into a nearby Protestant church. Those who had taken refuge inside were forced out. According to UN estimates, 22 people were killed in the churchyard, and a dozen more behind the building. The total death toll stands at at least 47. More than 50 people were abducted, and some 2,647 residents fled their homes, some of which were burned down.
At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Haiti, demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages. "This massacre is deeply shocking. But it is not an isolated tragedy," he said. "It is the latest in a series of attacks targeting the Kenscoff community since early 2025, and it demonstrates the gangs' continued capacity and determination to terrorize the population, extend their influence beyond the capital, and directly challenge the authority of the state."
Following the attack, gang members reportedly threatened on social media to execute some of the captives if security operations against their organizations continued. The Haitian government, however, announced the deployment of reinforcements to the area. "All security forces are on high alert," the Prime Minister's office stated the day after the attack. "The orders are clear: protect, secure, intervene."
The violence plaguing Haiti is part of a spiral that began at the start of the decade. The assassination of President Jovenel Moïse at his home in 2021 precipitated a protracted governance crisis. Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who succeeded him without an electoral mandate, ultimately resigned in 2024. The Transitional Presidential Council that succeeded him dissolved this year without holding any elections. General elections are now scheduled for December, after several postponements.
In this institutional vacuum, armed groups have significantly expanded their control. At one point, up to 90% of Port-au-Prince was under gang control. The violence has displaced 1,47 million people across the country, according to figures from last May. Between April and June, 1,408 people were killed and 656 injured in gang-related violence. During the same period, the UN documented 326 cases of sexual violence. In April, the first members of a UN-supported Gang Suppression Force arrived in Haiti, but their impact remains limited so far.
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