Armed gangs from the criminal coalition Viv Ansanm continue to terrorize the Haitian population in multiple regions, particularly in Kenscoff, a town located in the hills above the capital. On Saturday night, August 2, 2025, around ten people were kidnapped from the Sainte Hélène orphanage run by the NGO Nos Petits Frères et Sœurs.
Among those abducted are Irish national Gena Heraty, director of the orphanage, a three-year-old child, and six staff members, according to a statement released Monday, August 4, by the Kenscoff municipal government condemning the criminal act.
The attackers reportedly broke into the orphanage, located in Tête Bois-Pin, without firing a single shot. According to local authorities, they breached a wall and then entered the building where the center’s director resides.
The Sainte Hélène orphanage cares for approximately 270 children, including around 50 with special needs.
The abduction of foreign missionaries and humanitarian workers has become increasingly frequent in Haiti in recent years. On October 16, 2021, sixteen American and Canadian missionaries were kidnapped in Croix-des-Bouquets by the 400 Mawozo gang. Six months earlier, ten people, including two French priests, were also abducted in the same area by the same group.
Since late January, Kenscoff has faced a surge in violence amid repeated assaults by the Viv Ansanm coalition, which now controls several areas of the town. The group has carried out killings, kidnappings, looting, and arson, forcing thousands of residents from their homes.
Despite efforts by law enforcement to retake control of certain areas, the Viv Ansanm coalition—designated an international terrorist organization by the United States—continues to sow terror in Kenscoff and across other regions of the country.
In its August 4 statement, the Kenscoff municipal government “strongly condemned this barbaric act” and expressed its solidarity with the victims’ families, orphanage staff, and the wider community.
“This attack, targeting an institution that serves children with disabilities, constitutes an unacceptable assault on human dignity and the core values of our society,” said the town’s interim municipal commission.
Kenscoff officials are calling on national authorities to urgently adopt concrete measures to ensure the unconditional and immediate release of the hostages, significantly bolster police presence in the town, and protect social, humanitarian, and educational institutions—particularly those that serve the most vulnerable.
As gangs continue to kill, kidnap, burn homes, and displace residents from their communities, interim national authorities have yet to implement the decisive actions needed to neutralize criminal groups and restore public safety across the country.
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