Residents demand police resignations after armed gangs launch night raid on strategic hillside town, killing at least 47 people.
A strategic gateway to the capital
At least 47 people have been killed and 22 wounded in a brutal overnight assault by armed gangs on the outskirts of the Haitian capital, in a tragedy that has reignited fury over the government’s failure to protect its citizens.
The attack on the hillside settlement of Kenscoff, which began around 10.30 p.m. local time, has prompted angry protests from residents who say state security forces stood by while their neighbours were slaughtered.
Kenscoff occupies a strategically vital position overlooking the main access routes to Port-au-Prince. The town provides a gateway to the district of Pétion-Ville, home to foreign embassies and the government’s temporary seat, as well as to the highway linking the capital to Haiti’s southern regions.
In recent years, the settlement has endured a relentless wave of assaults by criminal alliances. According to the United Nations, more than 260 people were killed in Kenscoff during a single two-month period last year, while hundreds of homes were destroyed and thousands of families displaced.
The UN’s integrated office in Haiti said the current death toll was preliminary and could be revised as more information emerged. The Haitian human rights organisation RNDDH put the number of dead at between 30 and 40, citing difficulties in obtaining an accurate count amid the volatile security situation.
“The government is to blame”
Haiti’s government condemned the latest bloodshed and vowed to restore order.
“Kenscoff will not be abandoned. The authority of the government will be re-established without weakness and without delay,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
But such assurances have done little to quell the anger of residents, who point out that the massacre unfolded just minutes from the local police station. Many are now demanding the resignation of police leadership.
“My family are victims. The people of Kenscoff are suffering, and the government is to blame,” said local resident Coriolan Kendy. Another resident, Orisme, said: “We live in humiliation, and they do nothing for us.”
Witnesses said several dozen police officers attempted to resist the attackers, with some sustaining injuries. There were no reports of casualties among the gang members. During the overnight raid, assailants set fire to residential properties, including homes belonging to well-known public figures.
“The police have never surrendered,” said national police chief Vladimir Paraison, who visited the scene.
Elections under threat
The escalation of violence has cast fresh doubt over the feasibility of holding general elections in Haiti, which are scheduled for December. The country has not held a nationwide vote in nearly a decade, with polls repeatedly postponed due to the collapse of territorial control.
International efforts are under way to stabilise the situation. A UN-backed security mission is seeking to expand its contingent to 5,500 personnel in an attempt to wrest back control from the gangs. But for residents of Kenscoff, the response has come too late.
