Key facts
- More than 100 mourners attended funerals in Kenscoff, Haiti, following a gang attack.
- The attack on Aug. 23 killed 47 people and led to over 50 kidnappings.
- Gang members executed 13 people fleeing and 34 others who sought refuge in a church.
- A gang leader released some hostages after intervention by community leaders and UNICEF.
- Haitian authorities are investigating the attack for potential complicity or negligence by police.
Mourners gathered for funerals in Kenscoff, Haiti, following a brutal gang attack that killed dozens of people and shook the troubled country. The funerals were held for two brothers and three of their cousins at a church in the mountain community above the capital.
On the night of Aug. 23, gangs attacked the once-peaceful farming community, killing 47 people and kidnapping more than 50 others, marking one of the largest mass kidnappings in recent years. According to Marta Hurtado, a spokesperson for the U.N. Human Rights Office, approximately 150 heavily armed gang members participated. They reportedly killed 13 people who attempted to flee and then pursued another 50 who had sought refuge inside the church where the funerals were held. Gang members executed 22 Haitians in the church courtyard and 12 more behind the church.
Several days after the abductions, a gang leader agreed to release six children and seven women following an intervention by community leaders and UNICEF. Patrique Saint-Hilaire, an official with Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency in Kenscoff, stated that the government plans to support the affected families. So far, 17 of the 47 victims have been buried.
Kenscoff remains on high alert, with residents experiencing significant trauma. Friends and family of the victims have organized protests and vigils, some blaming the police for the attack. Haiti’s National Police have stated they are investigating the incident for potential complicity or negligence. Anger over the killings persists, and some individuals attacked journalists following the service.
The latest violence occurs as Haiti prepares for its first general elections in over a decade. Gangs are estimated to control 70% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and significant areas in the central region, with aspirations to seize territory in Kenscoff. Gang violence has displaced a record number of nearly 1.5 million people across Haiti, with over 3,050 reported killed between January and June.