Haiti Loses Ground in Kenscoff as Gangs Hold Dozens Hostage
Three days after the raid on Kenscoff, the hillside commune above Port-au-Prince has fewer shelters, fewer residents and an unresolved hostage crisis. The response so far has been meetings, pledges and patrols. The post Haiti Loses Ground in Kenscoff as Gangs Hold Dozens Hostage appeared first on The Rio Times .
On 23 August, gunmen attacked the hillside commune of Kenscoff, leading to the displacement of 2,647 people. The United Nations reported 47 killed and 22 injured, while Amnesty International cited 45 deaths and eight buildings burned. Kenedy Massillon, the mayor of Kenscoff, attributed the attack to the armed coalition known as Viv Ansanm.
Three days after the attack, state control in Kenscoff still rested on promises, patrols, and an unresolved hostage crisis. Armed men entered the center of the farming commune, and a video surfaced threatening to kill the captives. Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé ordered a firm response and pledged to dismantle criminal networks, while the National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH) reported an initial toll of 45 dead.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) recorded 2,647 people displaced, with 77% of them going to host families in neighboring Pétion-Ville. The Gang Suppression Force, authorized by Security Council Resolution 2793, was not fully deployed as of 26 August. The crisis has dampened production in Kenscoff, a main horticultural area supplying the Port-au-Prince market, leading to thinner market supplies and nearly 90% higher staple food prices compared to the five-year average.
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