At least 47 people were killed, 22 were injured and more than 52 were kidnapped during the attack carried out by armed gangs in Kenscoff, in the hills near Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. The Archbishop of Port-au-Prince and president of the Haitian Episcopal Conference, Mons. Max Leroy Mésidor, has denounced the authorities’ inability to protect the population: “The country has been abandoned, left to its fate.”
The massacre took place during the night of August 23–24 and targeted people who had sought refuge in a church as the gang members advanced. The United Nations has reported that 34 people were executed around the church, while the Haitian Church is demanding explanations for the lack of intervention that could have prevented the attack.
“We cannot keep letting the people die like this”
The president of the Haitian episcopate, Mésidor, has expressed the Church’s grief over the latest massacre that occurred within the territory of his archdiocese.
“Our hearts are torn by this situation. We ask God to sustain the families and welcome into His house the people who have been victims,” he states.
The archbishop accompanies his condolences with a harsh denunciation of the Haitian authorities’ actions.
“At the same time, we denounce the casual manner in which this situation, which has lasted for a long time, has been handled. There were signs that all of this could happen,” he warns.
Mésidor directly questions whether the necessary measures were taken to prevent the massacre and answers: “No, we cannot keep letting the people die like this.”
The president of the Haitian episcopate is calling on the government and security forces for immediate action.
“We appeal to all authorities, to all members of the government, to understand that this situation is terrible,” he says, before calling for greater police mobilization and measures to protect the entire area.
He also questions the effectiveness of the forces deployed against the gangs: “What are the anti-gang forces that have entered the area doing? How long will it take them to help the people, find a solution to the problem and unblock the situation?”
Dozens of people pursued to a church
According to information released by the United Nations, around 150 heavily armed gang members attacked several areas near the center of Kenscoff during the night.
The attackers fired on residents trying to escape and initially killed 13 people. Dozens of neighbors then sought protection in a Protestant church, where they were pursued by the gang members.
The United Nations reconstruction indicates that 22 people were executed in the courtyard and another 12 behind the church.
Among the 47 dead counted are five minors. More than 52 people were kidnapped during the attack, including five minors, while dozens of homes were set on fire.
Mésidor has explained that he does not have the elements to officially confirm the specific circumstances of the deaths that occurred near the church, although he has not denied them either. “That is what is being said and the press has written it,” the archbishop stated regarding reports of the executions.
Justice and Peace denounces a new “serious violation” of human dignity
The Justice and Peace Commission of the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince has also condemned the massacre and recalled that Kenscoff had already suffered another serious episode of violence during the night of July 4–5.
That attack affected various areas of the municipality and left dead, injured and missing persons, in addition to causing the forced displacement of several thousand families, fires in homes and looting.
“The Commission strongly condemns these acts of violence, which represent a serious violation of the right to life and human dignity,” the statement reads.
The archdiocesan body also recalls that Article 19 of the Haitian Constitution obliges the State to guarantee all citizens “the right to life, to health and to respect for the dignity of each person.”
More than 1.4 million displaced by violence
The new massacre occurs amid the continuous deterioration of security in Haiti. According to the latest data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the country has around 1.5 million internally displaced persons.
Gang violence, initially concentrated in Port-au-Prince, has progressively spread to other areas. Kenscoff has become one of the territories disputed by criminal groups seeking to expand their control around the capital.
Priests, religious brothers and sisters, missionaries and Church works have also suffered kidnappings and attacks in recent years.
In 2025, Kenscoff was the scene of the kidnapping of Irish missionary Gena Heraty and others during an assault on the Sainte-Hélène orphanage. The hostages regained their freedom after nearly a month in captivity.
Read also: Liberated after a month in captivity, the Irish missionary kidnapped in Haiti
The Haitian episcopate itself is once again calling on the State for a response to gangs that continue to murder, kidnap and expel the population from their homes. “The country has been abandoned, left to its fate,” Mésidor denounces.