UN secretary-general condemns latest gang attack in Haiti
UNITED NATIONS (CMC) – United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, Tuesday condemned the latest gang attack that left more than 30 people dead in the hillside community of Kenscoff, overlooking the capital, Port-au-Prince.
A coalition of criminal gangs led by Viv Ansanm is being blamed for the violence on Sunday night.
The UN said that the attack reportedly killed at least 47 people, including 22 who were reportedly executed in a church compound where they had sought safety.
The UN said the relentless attacks on communities and the loss of lives underscore the alarming security conditions in Haiti and reinforce the urgent need to intensify Haitian and international security efforts to counter these ruthless gangs.
“The secretary-general reiterates his call for Haitian authorities to ensure that those responsible for the attacks are held to account, including through the specialised judicial units, recently created with international support to investigate mass crimes,” his spokesman Stéphane Dujarric, told the daily news briefing.
Kenscoff’s mayor Jean Massillon told reporters on Monday that “it was a night of terror” and videos circulating on social media show members of the powerful Ansanm coalition storming the town’s centre and going on a killing spree.
The gang members attacked a church filled with people already fleeing gang violence, killing residents and torching vehicles and homes with the videos showing bludgeoned bodies lying in pools of blood.
Dujarric said that the UN humanitarian colleagues on the ground in Haiti are working with the local communities and local authorities to verify the information and assess what people need following this horrendous violence.
He said that the UN Integrated Office in Haiti reported that during the second quarter of 2026, from April to June, at least 1,408 people were killed and 656 others injured because of violence across Haiti. Gang attacks accounted for more than half of all killings, injuries recorded during this quarter.
“The report emphasises the importance of keeping Haiti on the international agenda and accelerating the full deployment of the Gang Suppression Force. It also calls for progress on investigations into mass crimes and reiterates that all use of force by law enforcement officials, or other actors acting on behalf of the State, must comply with international human rights law,” Dujarric added.
