On Sunday, August 23, 2026, around 9:00 p.m., terrorists from the criminal organization "Viv Ansanm" attacked downtown Kenscoff and its outskirts, according to Mayor Jean Massillon. These heavily armed individuals stormed a church being used as a camp for displaced people, executing or wounding numerous innocent people without provocation.

"People were also kidnapped, houses and vehicles were burned, and animals were killed," the Mayor continued. The provisional death toll is very high : more than 40 dead and more than 20 wounded. "We have already counted about forty bodies, and the search continues. Some people are still missing," he added, making it difficult to assess the final toll.

Reacting to this latest massacre, the Prime Minister's Office, in a statement, expressed its "deepest condolences to the bereaved families and all the victims of this heinous criminal attack" perpetrated in Kenscoff, affirming that the Government, under the direct authority of Prime Minister Fils-Aimé, stands with every Haitian suffering, in their pain and with dignity."

Continuing "[...] let there be no mistake : this mourning is also a challenge. And to this challenge, the Government responds with the force of the law and the legitimate exercise of public force.

All security forces are on high alert. Reinforcements are being deployed. The orders are clear : protect, secure, intervene. The Government's authority will be restored, without weakness and without delay, throughout the entire territory of Kenscoff."

The Government's message is unequivocal : "No armed group will prosper in Haiti. The criminals will obtain no truce, no refuge, and no impunity. The security forces have been tasked with pursuing them, neutralizing them, and rendering them harmless.

The population must remain confident. The Government stands firm. It will not withdraw, it will not compromise, it will not back down. Kenscoff will not be abandoned. Haiti will not be surrendered to the bandits. The Republic will prevail !"

A few hours after the Prime Minister's statement, the terrorists who attacked responded with a video less than three minutes long. They shared images of about twenty people—women, young men, and infants—whom they were using as hostages and human shields. The video's voiceover warns the authorities against any attack by kamikaze drones, threatening the hostages with death.

For its part, the Office of Citizen Protection (OPC) is deeply saddened and appalled by the massacre perpetrated in Kenscoff on the night of August 23-24, 2026. Faced with this new tragedy that has once again plunged the Haitian people into mourning, the OPC expresses its profound solidarity with the families of the victims and condemns these extremely serious acts in the strongest possible terms.

The OPC calls upon the Superior Council of the National Police and the competent authorities to take, as soon as possible, all necessary measures to restore lasting security in the municipality of Kenscoff, protect the population, and shed full light on these crimes so that the perpetrators and those who ordered them are identified, prosecuted, and brought to justice in accordance with the law.

The OPC also calls on State authorities to provide urgent assistance to the victims' families, particularly for the care of the injured and support for bereaved families, as well as to ensure that the funerals of the murdered are held with dignity and respect.

HL/ S/ PI/ HaitiLibre