Kenscoff Massacre Exposes Worsening Brutality of Haiti’s Gang Crisis, Security Council Hears, as Speakers Urge Rapid International Support

Kenscoff Massacre Exposes Worsening Brutality of Haiti's Gang Crisis, Security Council Hears, as Speakers Urge Rapid International Support

The massacre of at least 47 people in Kenscoff, including children and civilians killed while seeking refuge in a church, lays bare the worsening brutality of Haiti's gang crisis, the Security Council heard today, as speakers urged the rapid deployment of international support to stem the violence.

In September 2025, the 15-member Council, by adopting resolution 2793 (2025), authorized a multinational Gang Suppression Force (GSF) in Haiti to replace the Kenyan-led security support mission amid escalating gang violence.

Carlos Ruiz Massieu, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Haiti and Head of the United Nations Integrated Office in that country, told the Council today that on the night of 23 to 24 August, gangs launched a brutal attack, killing dozens of people, including three boys and two girls.

Dozens more were injured and abducted, while homes were set ablaze in the latest of a series of attacks on the commune of Kenscoff, located 10 kilometres south-east of Port-au-Prince. Haitians continue to bear a "devastating human cost", he stressed.

Underscoring that the UN's Integrated Office in Haiti has documented 1,408 people killed and 656 injured between April and June 2026 alone, he said the latest attack has "generated a new wave of public indignation" across Haiti's political class, civil society and international partners.

He welcomed the national authorities' recent decision to bring together the Haitian National Police, the Haitian Armed Forces and the Gang Suppression Force to jointly assess these latest developments. The authorities agreed that the Gang Suppression Force would strengthen its presence in the Port-au-Prince area, while the national security forces would reinforce their deployment in Kenscoff.

"Effectively activating and operationalizing the specialized judicial units responsible for investigating mass crimes, sexual violence and financial crimes is crucial for restoring public confidence in State institutions," he stressed.

Nearly 1.5 Million Displaced, Adding to Haiti's Humanitarian Crisis

"The latest attack on Kenscoff is yet another grim reminder of the suffering Haitians face every day," Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Indrika Ratwatte also told the Council.

The tragedy comes as nearly 1.5 million people - 12 per cent of Haiti's population - are internally displaced, half of them children. Displacement has doubled in just two years and conditions in many displacement sites are squalid, he said. Meanwhile, deportations to Haiti continue at scale. In the first eight months of 2026, almost 200,000 people were forcibly returned - a 10 per cent increase over the same period in 2025.

"Shocking" levels of violence persist, he underscored, pointing to more than 5,500 incidents of gender-based violence - about 30 cases per day - reported in the first six months of the year alone. For Haiti's children, life is a daily struggle for survival. More than 2.6 million children need humanitarian assistance. Hospitals are overwhelmed, and childhoods are cut short by violence, neglect, exploitation and hunger. According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the number of children recruited and used by armed groups skyrocketed by 200 per cent in 2025.

He called for a "clear and visible" distinction between humanitarian and security actors to ensure the safety of aid workers and preserve access to - and the trust of - communities. Together, the UN and its partners reached 2.4 million people in the first half of 2026. However, "trust remains fragile". He urged the Council to help stop the violence, fund the humanitarian response and tackle the causes of the crisis.

Gang Violence Threatens Haiti's Security, Upcoming Elections

The representative of Panama - whose delegation requested today's meeting alongside those of Colombia and the United States - said that violence has characterized the situation in Haiti "for a long time now". He recalled that gangs killed more than 250 people in that commune during two months of 2025 and more than 60 over just five days in July 2026. This reality confirms the importance of the Gang Suppression Force, he underscored, urging the international community to "put the pedal to the metal" and accelerate the Force's deployment so that it can deal with gang violence and help regain control on the ground.

"We cannot normalize a weekly massacre in Haiti," stressed Colombia's representative, concurring that the Gang Suppression Force authorized by resolution 2793 (2025) "must enjoy our full support" to reach its full capacity as quickly as possible. Further, he underlined the need to intensify the fight against transnational organized crime, which allows Haitian gangs to acquire resources and weapons with which to "terrorize the defenceless population".

"By their own public statements, gang coalitions seek to prevent Haitian voters from exercising their rights to elect their representative Government in upcoming elections," said the representative of the United States, condemning in the strongest possible terms the "savage gang attacks". Terrorists cannot take democracy hostage for "their own selfish and violent ends" and rob Haiti of their future. The United States stands with Haitian authorities to restore security, she said, urging the Gang Suppression Force to "sweep the streets, neutralize the threat and deliver Haiti back to her own people".

"Organized crime in Haiti does not intend to surrender in the face of the Gang Suppression Force," said the Russian Federation's representative, pointing to the uncontrolled arms trafficking from the United States fuelling gang activity in Haiti. Underscoring that many of those at Kenscoff were killed on the grounds of a local church, he said Haiti's authorities must do their utmost to ensure hostages are released and criminals brought to justice.

Security, Sanctions, Development Key to Tackling Haiti's Crisis

"These are not merely criminal acts," stressed the United Kingdom's delegate, adding: "They are calculated assaults on communities designed to spread fear, undermine State authority and further entrench gang control." The representative of Denmark - Council President for August - speaking in her national capacity, said she was "appalled by the abhorrent killing" of at least 47 people, "including children, some of whom were allegedly burned alive in their homes and places of worship".

"The international community will respond with resolve," Greece's delegate said, adding that Kenscoff shows that armed gangs are seeking to maintain their grip over communities through violence, intimidation and fear. Bahrain's representative called for "urgent" international action to protect civilians and strengthen both State institutions and the rule of law.

"For a secure environment to take hold, the flow of illegal weapons into Haiti must stop," echoed Pakistan's delegate. France's delegate said that the renewal of sanctions in October will mark another critical step to stem arms flows to criminal gangs and curb the financial flows that support it. Sanctions must be extended to individuals who provide political or financial support to the gangs, he said, efforts that must be accompanied by a comprehensive approach to strengthen the entire police-justice-prison chain.

The representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, speaking also for Liberia and Somalia, voiced hope that the Gang Suppression Force would reach its full capacity, in support of the Government's stabilization efforts. "All security operations, including those involving the use of armed drones in populated areas, must be conducted in strict compliance with international law," he insisted, while clear command structures, effective Government oversight and credible mechanisms are essential for investigating claims of harm done to civilians.

Haitian-Led Solutions Needed to Address Gang Violence

"In Haiti, we know there will be no stability and sustainable development without security and effectively addressing the multifaceted root causes of insecurity", said Brazil's delegate, also urging the Council to consider measures to enforce and enhance the arms embargo. Noting that Haiti's security crisis is increasingly characterized by criminal economies, sustained through the control of strategic logistical nodes and extortion revenues, he said: "Changing these dynamics requires a combination of law enforcement, institutional strengthening, community resilience and economic alternatives, particularly for young people vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups."

"Without security, there can be no development; but, without development, inclusion and opportunities, no true security can be achieved either," observed the representative of Argentina. Millions of Haitians lack adequate access to essential services and decent work.

Mexico's representative stressed that security actions must be accompanied by efforts to address the causes of violence. He urged the Council to promote a Haitian-led disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme, as Haitians must be recognized as actors and decision-makers in their own solutions. "There are no shortcuts given the accumulated structural challenges, and anyone offering shortcuts is ignorant of the country's reality," he said.

Call for Faster Gang Force Deployment, Stronger Arms Embargo

The representative of Haiti strongly condemned the massacre and hostage-taking carried out by armed gangs in Kenscoff, describing the attack as further evidence of the criminal groups' "new capacity for violence and terror". "The armed forces of Haiti remain fully mobilized on the ground with support from the Gang Suppression Force," he said, urging the international community to "accelerate the deployment of the GSF to the planned strength of 5,500 personnel as soon as possible". All national security forces have been placed on "maximum high alert", with instructions to protect the population, regain territory occupied by gangs and restore State authority.

"The Government is continuing to strengthen the armed forces of Haiti through the recruitment and training of new military personnel," he also stated, urging the international community to support these efforts. Welcoming commitments from Chad, Mongolia and Côte d'Ivoire, which have already signed agreements with Haiti to join the Gang Suppression Force, he said similar discussions were under way with Jamaica, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. He called for stronger enforcement of the Council arms embargo to "stem the flow of arms and ammunition", stressing that restoring security is essential to re-establishing State authority and creating the conditions for elections.