Haiti after Kenscoff: Pledges and Promises Do Not Stop the Killing

Aug 30, 2026 Features / Columnists, Ronald Sanders

(Kaieteur News) – For generations, Kenscoff was where people from Port-au-Prince went to breathe. Its cool hills offered relief, and its farmers supplied the capital’s markets. Gang attacks reached the commune in January 2025, but it remained an important barrier between gang-controlled territory and Pétion-Ville. On the night of 23 August, the Viv Ansanm coalition launched its largest attack on the community so far.

The United Nations says at least 47 people were killed and 22 injured, including five children. Twenty-two people were reportedly executed inside a church compound where they had sought shelter, and more than 50 others were abducted. It was one of the largest mass kidnappings Haiti has suffered in recent years.