At least 47 people have been killed and more than 50 others taken hostage following a devastating gang assault on the hillside community of Kenscoff, near the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, with the United Nations confirming the death toll on Tuesday. The attack, which took place on Sunday, is believed to be among the largest mass kidnappings recorded in Haiti in recent years, and has shattered a fragile sense that security in the country was slowly improving.
A community under siege: what happened in Kenscoff
Armed men stormed the once-quiet mountain community, killing residents and seizing dozens of hostages before posting a chilling video threat on social media. The UN's Integrated Office in Haiti confirmed that at least five of the 47 victims were children, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the attack after reports emerged that 22 of the dead had been executed inside a church.
The gang leader in the video identified himself as Izo 2 — a reference to one of Haiti's most feared crime figures, Johnson André, known as Izo. Security analysts say Izo 2, also known as "Didi", leads the armed group operating in Kenscoff on behalf of and in coordination with Izo and other senior gang figures.
In the video, the gang leader issued a direct warning to Vladimir Paraison, director of Haiti's National Police: "Paraison, if any of our soldiers are hurt, I will kill all of them," referring to the captive hostages.
Survivors speak of terror and loss
Kenscoff resident Marc Paul, 42, said the attack claimed five of his family members — his brother, stepmother, stepfather and two cousins were among those kidnapped. His 16-year-old niece was also abducted and raped during the assault, though she managed to escape and has since reunited with him.
"I had to run over bodies," Paul said, recounting his desperate flight from the violence. "I can't sleep knowing all these people died."
Paul's family had already been displaced by an earlier gang attack on Kenscoff in January 2025, but he described Sunday's assault as far more brutal. Distressed by footage circulating online, he feared the worst for his brother: "My brother is probably going to die."
His 17-year-old nephew, Kenson Paul, said he narrowly escaped the attackers and expressed anguish over the lack of any ransom demand or communication from the gang. "They have not called us to let us know what they want," he said. "I worry for my family's life."
A calculated threat to Haiti's fragile security
Security experts say the attack is unlikely to be random. Romain Le Cour, head of the Haiti Observatory at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, described the hostage threat as a deliberate trap for authorities.
"This is a major political and security test, for the government, for the police and for the international mission," Le Cour said. He explained that if security forces move in and hostages are killed, the gangs will lay blame on the state — but if they stand down, they will be seen as failing to protect civilians.
Le Cour also suggested the attack may be designed to stretch Haiti's already thin security resources. "If you force them to deploy more troops, it would inevitably be at the expense of other areas," he said, noting that neither police nor the UN-backed gang suppression force have sufficient personnel to respond across multiple fronts simultaneously.
Timing raises fears ahead of December elections
The assault comes as Haiti prepares to hold general elections on December 13 — the first in more than a decade. Le Cour said the timing may be no coincidence, describing the attack as a pointed message to the government and police.
"The gangs are saying: when we choose to attack, we can, and we will succeed," he said. "This is a message that their claims of protection do not match reality."
Attacks on Kenscoff first escalated with a significant incident in January 2025, followed by sporadic violence in the surrounding mountains. Sunday's assault, however, was the deadliest and most coordinated yet — raising urgent questions about whether Haiti's security forces and international partners can contain the growing power of organised gangs ahead of a critical electoral moment.
