Deadly gang attack leaves Haiti’s Kenscoff community reeling

Wails filled the streets of Kenscoff on Monday as residents searched for loved ones following a deadly gang attack on the farming community in the hills above Haiti’s capital.

Armed men raided the area late Sunday, setting homes on fire and killing residents, according to Kenscoff Mayor Jean Massillon. Authorities said it was still too early to establish a definitive death toll because of difficulties accessing the area and disrupted communications.

For residents, the violence came with little warning.

Robert Jean, Kenscoff resident: “When I heard the shooting, I was at home and told people, 'Wake up. I am hearing the shooting. We need to move quickly'; everyone listened and moved out. When we made it to a safe ground area, I called to see if everyone was safe; I could not find my brother. His name is Jean Mercidieu. I called his phone and could not get a hold of him.”

Jean said the family fled to safety as gunfire erupted, but his brother remained missing.

The mayor blamed the attack on members of the Viv Ansanm gang coalition, which has repeatedly targeted Kenscoff. The United States has designated the group a foreign terrorist organization.

Survivors say the attack exposed the vulnerability of communities that have little protection from heavily armed gangs.

Enold Saint Verti, farmer: “We don’t have good police. If only we had good police, they would have placed an armed truck here and what happened here would have been prevented.”

Gangs control an estimated 70% of Port-au-Prince, according to U.N. figures, while violence has displaced around 1.5 million people across Haiti.

More than 3,100 people were killed and another 1,189 injured between January and June, the United Nations has reported.

The latest attack comes as Haiti prepares for general elections scheduled for December 13 — the country's first in more than a decade. Voter registration is underway, but experts have warned that widespread insecurity could make holding credible elections extremely difficult.

For Kenscoff residents, however, the immediate concern is more personal: finding missing relatives, mourning those killed and trying to survive in communities increasingly surrounded by violence.