Haitian gang threatens to kill more than 50 hostages after Kenscoff commune attack

Maryam Ashalem de Andres

More than 50 people kidnapped during a deadly gang attack in Haiti’s Kenscoff commune are being threatened with execution by their captors, media reports said Wednesday.

The threat was issued by a gang leader known as Izo 2, who warned that the hostages would be killed if members of his group were killed during security operations.

The threat followed an overnight gang attack in Kenscoff on Aug. 23 that killed at least 47 people and injured 22, according to the United Nations.

The Haitian Times reported that the attack involved armed men who moved through Kenscoff, killing residents, setting homes on fire and abducting dozens of people.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at least five children were among those killed, while 22 victims were reportedly killed inside a church compound where they had sought shelter. Gang members also set fire to 25 homes during the attack.

More than 50 people were abducted, with the victims taken from different parts of the commune.

The UN said the attack was one of the largest mass kidnappings in Haiti in recent years.

At least 1,408 people were killed and 656 injured in Haiti between April and June, according to the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH). The number of victims fell about 14% from the previous three months.

More than half of the deaths and injuries were attributed to gangs, while about 40% occurred during security operations, and 5% were linked to self-defense groups and acts of vigilante justice, according to BINUH.

“These figures show that the population continues to pay an unacceptable price for violence,” Carlos Ruiz Massieu, the UN’s top representative in Haiti, said in a statement.

The latest violence comes as authorities and international partners seek to improve security ahead of general elections scheduled for Dec. 13, which would be the country’s first general elections in more than a decade.

Guterres condemned the Kenscoff attack and demanded stronger efforts by authorities and international partners to protect civilians and combat armed gangs.

BINUH said more than 800 people were killed or injured during security operations between April and June, including at least 95 people with no apparent links to gangs.

The UN said nearly 1.47 million people were internally displaced in Haiti as of May, more than half of them children.