About 40 Killed in Gang Attack Near Haiti’s Capital, Mayor Says

Gangs attacked the town of Kenscoff, southeast of Port-au-Prince, on Sunday night, killing about 40 people and raiding a camp for displaced people inside a church, Mayor Massillon Jean said.

Dozens were wounded, others were abducted and some people remained missing, Kenscoff Mayor Massillon Jean told the French news agency AFP on Monday. Searches were continuing, he said.

Jean said attackers raided the church camp and killed several people there. He described the assault as “a night of terror.”

The office of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime expressed “deep compassion” for bereaved families and other victims. The government said reinforcements would be sent to restore security in the area.

A man in his 60s who escaped with his family said he initially mistook the gunfire for police. The family climbed over a wall and hid beneath sheets of corrugated iron. “There were so many dead,” he said.

A woman identified only as Marlène said armed men smashed down her door and took her husband away. She said her husband and brother were killed, leaving her with five children. Her husband had provided for the family, she said.

Kenscoff has faced months of gang violence and incursions by armed groups seeking to expand their control, RFI reported. Gangs control much of Port-au-Prince, according to the report.

RFI described Haiti as the poorest country in the Americas and said it has endured years of political instability, natural disasters, corruption and gang violence. The report attributed widespread killings, rapes, looting and kidnappings to powerful gangs.

Nearly 1.5 million Haitians are displaced in a country of about 11 million people. More than 5 million face severe food insecurity, according to U.N. figures.

The crisis worsened in early 2024, when a wave of gang violence forced Haiti’s unelected prime minister to resign, RFI reported. The country has not held an election since 2016.

Haiti’s last president, Jovenel Moise, was assassinated in July 2021 and was not replaced, according to the report. A general election is scheduled for December 2026.