GANG ATTACK KILLS AROUND 40 IN HAITI CHURCH SHELTER

Gang members killed around 40 displaced people in an attack on a church shelter in Kenscoff, a town in the hills southeast of Port-au-Prince, on Sunday night, according to local authorities. Mayor Massillon Jean said some victims were killed execution-style. Many others were injured, and some people remain missing following the assault. The office of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime issued a statement expressing "deep compassion" for bereaved families and announced that government reinforcements would be sent to restore security in the area.

Kenscoff has experienced months of gang violence and incursions by armed groups seeking to expand territorial control. The displaced persons camp targeted in the attack housed people who had already fled violence elsewhere. Jean described the events as "a night of terror," noting that armed men forced their way into homes, took people away at gunpoint, and abducted others. Residents reported hiding beneath corrugated iron sheets to escape gunfire, believing initially that police rather than gang members were responsible for the shooting.

Haiti's humanitarian crisis continues to deepen as gangs control much of the capital. According to UN figures cited in reports, nearly 1.5 million Haitians are currently displaced in a country of approximately 11 million people, and more than five million face severe food insecurity. The country has not held elections since 2016, and gang violence intensified in early 2024, forcing the unelected prime minister at that time to resign.