Haiti armed group releases 13 hostages after deadly Kenscoff attack | Ukraine news
A rare moment of relief has emerged in Haiti, but questions remain about the fate of dozens of other people taken in the same attack.
An armed group in Haiti has released six children and seven women who were kidnapped along with more than 50 residents of the Kenscoff community near the capital, Port-au-Prince. The release was announced by the UN Children’s Fund.
As noted by CNN
Those released include three children under the age of two, a seven-year-old child, and two teenage girls. UNICEF and local leaders took part in negotiations for their return.
There is currently no information about the health of those released. It also remains unclear whether the attackers are holding other kidnapped women and children.
This release offers a rare reason for hope amid the violence threatening children in Haiti. The kidnappings in Kenscoff were not an isolated incident, but another stark reminder of the scale and frequency of attacks on children across the country.
– Yannig Dussart, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Haiti
Attack in Kenscoff and threats against hostages
Late Sunday, militants carried out an attack on Kenscoff that killed at least 47 people. The community in the hills above Port-au-Prince had previously been considered a relatively peaceful farming area.
A gang leader known as Izo 2 said he would kill all the hostages if police killed any members of the group during a security operation in Kenscoff. He leads an armed group in the area and works with other gang leaders, including Izo, who is regarded as one of Haiti’s most influential criminal figures.
UN response and the humanitarian situation in Haiti
The attack on the community was discussed during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council initiated by the United States, Panama, and Colombia. Participants called for the immediate deployment of new UN-backed forces to counter gangs and for stronger international security assistance.
UN Special Envoy Luis Ruiz Massieu said that Haitian authorities had agreed on joint action involving the national police, armed forces, and an anti-gang unit. The unit is expected to strengthen its presence in Port-au-Prince, while Haitian forces plan to increase the number of troops in Kenscoff.
Indrika Ratwatte, acting UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said that more than 2,600 people had fled their homes because of the attack. For many of them, this was already their second or third forced displacement.
Overall, Haiti has nearly 1.5 million internally displaced people, representing 12% of the country’s population. About half of them are children.
During the first six months of 2026, UN humanitarian partners recorded more than 5,500 cases of gender-based violence, or about 30 cases a day. During the first eight months of the year, nearly 200,000 people were forcibly returned to Haiti – 10% more than during the same period last year.