Following a deadly spate of gang attacks on civilians in Haiti and amid reports of illicit weapons slipping into the Caribbean country, the Security Council called an emergency meeting on 28 August to discuss the latest developments.
Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), condemned the gang attack carried out in Kenscoff during the night of 23 to 24 August. At least 47 people, including five children, were killed, dozens abducted and many others injured. Homes were burned and people seeking refuge, including at a church, were attacked. He called for the immediate and unconditional release of all those abducted.
The massacre, the latest in a series of attacks affecting Kenscoff since early 2025, demonstrated the gangs’ ability to expand their influence beyond Port-au-Prince and challenge State authority. BINUH documented 1,408 people killed and 656 injured between April and June 2026 alone.
Welcoming increased coordination among the Haitian National Police, Haitian Armed Forces and Gang Suppression Force, he called for the Force’s swift and full deployment. However, security operations must be accompanied by measures to restore State authority, basic services, schools, health facilities and livelihoods, as well as pathways for young people to leave gangs.
He also called for those who perpetrate, finance, arm and enable gang violence to be held accountable, stressing that international commitments must now produce concrete results.
