47 Dead, 22 Injured as Gangs Target Displaced Persons Camp in Haiti Church

47 Dead, 22 Injured as Gangs Target Displaced Persons Camp in Haiti Church

The United Nations has confirmed that at least 47 people were killed and 22 others injured in an overnight gang attack on the hillside community of Kenscoff, near Port-au-Prince. The assault, which targeted a displaced persons camp sheltering inside a church, has sparked outrage among residents who accuse security forces of failing to protect them from repeated violence. The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti warned that casualty estimates could still change as searches continue.

According to Kenscoff Mayor Massillon Jean, armed men raided the community late Sunday, setting fire to homes and targeting a displaced persons camp located inside a church. “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 told the AFP news agency. Residents described the attack as a “night of terror.” Wails filled the air in Kenscoff as survivors found the bodies of friends and family strewn on the streets early Monday. One woman kept yelling, “They killed my son!” as people nearby tried to comfort her. Local media reported that several houses were set on fire, including the home of Dr. Jean William Pape, a leading public health expert and founder of the Gheskio centres, which provide healthcare and HIV treatment in Haiti.

Kenscoff holds a strategic position overlooking routes into Petion-Ville—home to several embassies, upscale hotels, and the temporary seat of government—as well as a major road from the capital into southern Haiti. Control over Kenscoff would give armed groups another access route into Petion-Ville, where the transitional government has been relocating ministries. The community has suffered a dozen attacks by armed gangs since last year, forcing thousands to flee their homes. 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 UN estimates.

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Mayor Massillon blamed the attack on members of Viv Ansanm, a powerful gang coalition that the U.S. government designated as a foreign terrorist organisation last year. The gangs are seeking to consolidate their presence in Kenscoff, a strategic area due to its proximity to the Southeast department and the city of Jacmel, which had remained relatively unaffected by the violence plaguing Port-au-Prince. Since setting their sights on Kenscoff with their first assault on January 27, 2025, members of Viv Ansanm have tried to reach its geographic centre. On Sunday, they finally did so with an attack that unfolded in several regions of the commune, near the mayor’s office and a police substation.

Even as Haiti’s government decried a “heinous attack” and promised to reinforce security, residents demanded the local police chief step down, saying officers failed to protect people killed just minutes from the police station. “Kenscoff will not be abandoned,” the prime minister’s office said on social media. “The government’s authority will be restored, without weakness and without delay.” The office of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé expressed “profound compassion” for the victims and their families, announcing that all security forces were on “maximum alert” and reinforcements were being deployed. “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, pleaded for the prime minister’s support: “We live in humiliation and they do nothing for us.” 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. National police chief Vladimir Paraison told reporters during a visit to Kenscoff later in the day: “The police never gave up.”

The attack may deepen concerns over Haiti’s ability to hold an election in December, its first in a decade. Successive governments have repeatedly postponed elections as armed gangs have expanded their influence. Gangs control an estimated 70% of Port-au-Prince, with Viv Ansanm repeatedly targeting nearby Kenscoff. Gang violence has displaced a record 1.5 million people across Haiti—roughly 14% of the population—where more than 3,100 people were reported killed from January to June and another 1,189 injured, according to UN statistics. According to UN data, violence in Haiti caused at least 2,310 deaths and 1,106 injuries in the first five months of the year. There were also at least 99 kidnappings; 699 people—especially women and girls—were victims of sexual violence; and hundreds of minors remain in the hands of human trafficking networks. The poorest country in the Americas, Haiti has long suffered from deep-seated political instability, corruption, natural disasters, and gang violence. The UN estimates that approximately 5.8 million Haitians—about 52% of the population—are experiencing food insecurity, while the number of displaced people reached 1.4 million last year, an unprecedented level.

The UN-backed Gang Suppression Force (FRG), which is mandated to help police fight gangs and replace a previous underfunded and ineffective structure, aims to reach a capacity of more than 5,500 troops this autumn. A spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions on whether the troops were reinforcing Kenscoff security. The attack comes less than a week after the U.S. government deported more than 160 people to Haiti for the first time since the Trump administration won a legal battle to end Temporary Protected Status for some 350,000 Haitians. Haiti’s government has said some of the deportees included TPS holders. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said those deported Friday included several gang members with criminal records ranging from assault to drug trafficking.

47 Dead, 22 Injured as Gangs Target Displaced Persons Camp in Haiti Church