Haiti’s national police is facing growing scrutiny after an August 23 gang attack in Kenscoff killed 47 people and kidnapped more than 50. Hundreds of residents fled the community in the hills outside Port-au-Prince.
At a news conference on Thursday, police spokesperson Garry Desrosiers offered few details about how authorities would respond, saying, “We cannot talk about any plans.” Police said they are working to return displaced residents to Kenscoff.
Why the attack has raised wider concern
The assault struck an area where violence had been declining. Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, a nonprofit conflict monitor, found that violence in Kenscoff fell by 66 percent between January and August compared with the same period a year earlier.
The United Nations has warned that gang-related violence is spreading geographically even as authorities intensify an anti-gang campaign in Port-au-Prince. UN representative Carlos Ruiz Massieu said the country’s population continues to bear an unacceptable toll from the violence. For additional context, see “Why Trump’s Air Force One flight is facing scrutiny”.
Key points
- A gang leader has threatened to execute the hostages if police kill gang members during efforts to regain control of Kenscoff.
- Police believe the same gang leader has threatened an assault on Tabarre, a Port-au-Prince neighbourhood that is home to the United States embassy.
- The United Nations estimates that Kenscoff has suffered about a dozen gang attacks since last year.
- From January through June, more than 3,050 people were killed across Haiti, according to the United Nations.
Pressure on Haiti’s security response
The Kenscoff attack comes as authorities seek to reclaim control of the capital. An estimated 70 percent of Port-au-Prince is under gang control, while clashes have displaced more than 1.5 million people across Haiti.
Armed groups have gained influence since the 2021 assassination of former President Jovenel Moise, which left a power vacuum. Haiti has held no national elections since then; the terms of its last elected senators expired in 2023, and a general election is currently scheduled for December.
The first members of a UN-backed Gang Suppression Force arrived in Haiti in April. The force was intended to dismantle organised violence and relieve a smaller Kenya-led multinational mission that had struggled with limited funding and support. Critics say international efforts have so far had little success, while past foreign interventions have faced accusations of rights abuses. A related part of this story is covered in “Robert Shageyev killed in Sevastopol bomb attack, Russian officials say”.
Police investigation and unanswered questions
Desrosiers said police had been working to gather information before and after the attack but declined to provide detailed intelligence or an operational plan. National police chief Vladimir Paraison did not attend the news conference and has defended the force against criticism.
Paraison has said an investigation is under way into whether the violence was enabled by “complicity or negligence”. Haitian police have also faced allegations of corruption, incompetence and, in some cases, collaboration with armed groups. The development of this issue can be followed in “Deadly attacks widen across Ukraine and Russia’s logistics network”.
What happens next
Haiti’s general election is currently scheduled for December, while police continue efforts to regain control of Kenscoff and return displaced residents home.
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