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Violent Haitian Gang Releases Women and Children After Mass Kidnapping and Deadly Attack
The UN cited dozens killed and more than 50 kidnapped in Kenscoff and urged Haitian police to improve civilian protection.
On Sunday, August 23, 2026, armed gang members attacked Kenscoff, a community near Port-au-Prince, Haiti, killing at least 47 people and kidnapping more than 52 residents.
Armed gangs control an estimated 70 percent of Port-au-Prince, terrorizing communities with the "wanton, intentional infliction of incredible pain" on civilians often caught in violence.
Human Rights Office spokesperson Marta Hurtado reported that 150 gang members executed 22 residents in a Protestant church courtyard and 12 others behind the building after forcing them from refuge.
Six children and seven women were released by the gang, a development UNICEF described as offering a rare moment of hope amid the ongoing violence threatening Haiti's children.
The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency meeting Friday to discuss strengthening the arms embargo on Haiti and accelerating full deployment of the Gang Suppression Force.