More than 50 kidnapped after violent gang attack in Haiti leaves 47 dead

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — At least 47 people were killed and more than 50 others kidnapped after armed men attacked a once-peaceful community near Haiti’s capital earlier this week, the United Nations said Tuesday.It is believed to be one of the largest mass kidnappings in Haiti in recent years, and one gang leader is threatening to kill the hostages if authorities kill any gang members as they try to secure the community nestled in the hills above Port-au-Prince.Sunday’s attack on Kenscoff pierced the belief that security in the troubled Caribbean country was improving.“This is a major political and security test, for the government, for the police and for the international mission alike,” said Romain Le Cour, head of Haiti Observatory at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.He said the threat of executing hostages is a trap: If forces don’t act, they’ve failed to protect them; if they do and hostages die, the gangs will blame the state.A threat posted on social mediaIn a video posted on social media, the gang leader threatened Vladimir Paraison, director of Haiti’s National Police, warning that he should refrain from using drones to repel gangs in the area.“Paraison, if any of our soldiers are hurt, I will kill all of them,” he said, referring to the hostages.The gang member only identified himself as Izo 2, a reference to Izo, or Johnson André, one of Haiti’s most powerful gang leaders.Le Cour said Izo 2 is also known as “Didi” and leads the armed group in Kenscoff on behalf of and in coordination with Izo and other gang leaders.“He’s running a kind of franchise cell for other gangs,” Le Cour said.He said the aim of Sunday’s attack could be to force Haiti’s police and the U.N.-backed gang suppression force to disperse even more of their limited resources.“They don’t have enough personnel,” Le Cour said. “If you force them to deploy more troops, it would inevitably be at the expense of other areas.”The attack might also just be a show of force and a message to Haiti’s government and police as the country prepares to hold general elections on Dec. 13 for the first time in more than a decade.“This is a message to the government and the police that their claims of protection do not match reality,” Le Cour said.

“The gangs are saying: when we choose to attack, we can, and we will succeed.”Attacks on Kenscoff have escalatedThe first m… It is believed to be the largest mass kidnapping in Haiti in recent years, and one gang leader is threatening to kill the hostages if authorities kill any gang members as they try to secure the community nestled in the hills above Port-au-Prince. Sunday’s attack on Kenscoff pierced the belief that security in the troubled Caribbean country was improving.

“This is a major political and security test, for the government, for the police and for the international mission alike,” said Romain Le Cour, head of Haiti Observatory at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime He said the threat of executing hostages is a trap: If forces don’t act, they’ve failed to protect them; if they do and hostages die, the gangs will blame the state. In a video posted on social media, the gang leader threatened Vladimir Paraison, director of Haiti’s National Police, warning that he should refrain from using drones to repel gangs in the area. “Paraison, if any of our soldiers are hurt, I will kill all of them,” he said, referring to the hostages.

The gang member only identified himself as Izo 2, a reference to Izo, or Johnson André, one of Haiti’s most powerful gang members. Le Cour said Izo 2 is also known as “Didi” and leads the armed group in Kenscoff on behalf of and in coordination with Izo and other gang leaders. “He’s running a kind of franchise cell for other gangs,” Le Cour said.

He said the aim of Sunday’s attack could be to force Haiti’s police and the U.N.-backed gang suppression force to disperse even more of their limited resources. “They don’t have enough personnel,” Le Cour said. 13 for the first time in more than a decade.

“This is a message to the government and the police that their claims of protection do not match reality,” Le Cour said. “The gangs are saying: when we choose to attack, we can, and we will succeed.” The first major attack on Kenscoff occurred in January 2025, and since …