In a damning report published on September 16, 2026, the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH) reveals the circumstances of two massacres perpetrated in July and August 2026 in the commune of Kenscoff. At least 164 people were murdered, 71 kidnapped, and dozens of houses burned. The organization points to the responsibility of state authorities, particularly the Superior Council of the National Police (CSPN), accused of abandoning the population despite repeated warnings.
Kenscoff, long considered relatively spared from the expansion of armed gangs, descended into horror as early as January 2025. A first massacre, perpetrated on January 27, 28, and 29 of that year, had already left at least 139 dead or missing and destroyed 43 houses and businesses. Despite the recommendations made by RNDDH in its February 28, 2025 report, security was never truly restored in the commune.
Throughout 2025, episodes of violence multiplied, creating an extremely tense security situation. In November 2025, faced with the persistent threat, authorities established a security apparatus with the support of experts from the French and U.S. embassies. Fixed posts were installed in strategic areas such as Téléco, Panyol, near the Sainte-Hélène Orphanage, Viard 1, Kafou Malè, and Carrefour Maroca. Specialized units of the Haitian National Police (PNH) – SWAT, CIMO, BRI, BLVV, UTAG, and BOID – were deployed there, while the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAD’H) provided protection for Téléco.
However, for reasons that remain entirely unknown, UTAG and BOID agents were recalled from Kenscoff, drastically reducing the city’s defense capabilities.
The july 2026 massacre: the surprise attack on Robin
During the night of July 7-8, 2026, the 5th communal section of Grand-Fond was struck by an armed attack of particular gravity. No one expected this offensive against the locality of Robin, considered impregnable. It was precisely there that the interim Executive Agent for the commune had decided to transfer victims of the January 2025 massacre, still housed at the Town Hall, to the Afè Nèg Combit (ANC) school.
On the very day of the massacre, in the evening, some residents noticed that armed bandits had blocked several stretches of road using tree trunks they had previously cut down. That was the only warning sign.
After blocking the roads, the armed bandits murdered people living in the areas of Robin, Savanes (commonly called Dèyè Savann), Marothière, and Grand-Place, before using their corpses as barricades along the road. They then went to the Afè Nèg Combit (ANC) camp, where they fired at human height, killing many people who had taken refuge there. They set fire to the camp, burning victims alive, while others were first killed by bullets before being charred.
The human toll of that night is terrible. RNDDH documented the assassination of many people, including elderly couples, entire families, farmers, and pastors. Philomène Alexis and Samson Louis, aged 70 and 80 respectively, parents of six children, perished in the fire at their home. Presnel Augusma, 52, was shot in the head, while his mother, Clernise Maxime, 62, remains missing. Emmanuel Auguste, 72, his sister Andrena, 55, and his son Bernard, 40, all perished in the fire at their home in Dopak.
Pastor Edner Blanc lost his adopted son Daniel Pierre, 24, his grandson Edner Junior Blanc Fils, 8, and two of his nieces, Dahana Facilus, 16, and Manoucheca Joseph, both shot dead. Pastor Voguel Dorleant, a school director, was decapitated, and his son Foucault, 23, was killed. The bandits took the pastor’s head with them.
The Ovilus brothers, Jonas and Elius, both pastors of the Chrétienne Christ Sanctifié Church, were shot dead. Elius, visually impaired and lame, was riddled with bullets near the Bien Servir cemetery. Dieucemane Joseph was shot in the left breast as she tried to flee.
RNDDH identified at least 8 other people shot dead during this massacre whose relatives could not be traced: Nabezwen’m Azena, 27; Foucault Dorlan, 23; Dayana Facilus, 25; Sincia Jean, 56; Fetchina Joseph, 6; Manoucheka Joseph, 27; Dieusel Narcise, 33; and Daniel Pierre, 24.
The august 2026 massacre: A meticulously prepared attack
Unlike the July massacre, the August 2026 massacre was meticulously prepared, according to the report. Armed bandits used surveillance drones to track the movements of law enforcement, deployed a large number of scouts to obtain real-time information, and infiltrated the city center five days before the attack. Positioned in Villier, these scouts were tasked with monitoring roads, identifying individuals who might pose a threat, and reporting the movements of security forces.
A few hours before the attack, on the afternoon of August 23, 2026, a heated meeting took place between members of the Kenscoff Communal Brigade (BRICK) and representatives of the Town Hall. According to testimony, several brigadiers guarding strategic positions – Viard 1, Viard 2, Villier, and Robin – were disarmed and ordered to leave their posts.
This decision followed the assassination of Eric Luc, a Robin resident, on August 14, 2026. Stopped by two BRICK members, Berthony Romulus alias Ti Blan and Doly Augustin Christophe alias Doy Coriolan, after selling two pigs at the Kenscoff market, Eric Luc was executed and his body partially burned. The two brigadiers admitted to killing Eric Luc after finding videos on his phone of gang leader Didier Cherisme alias Didi or Izo 2. They were disarmed on August 23, 2026.
According to what was agreed at the meeting, the seized weapons were to be transported by the Town Hall to Robin. BRICK members stated that they never arrived at their destination, which explains why, on the evening of August 23, 2026, the brigadiers were completely unable to retaliate against the bandits’ attack.
Interim Executive Agent Massillon Jean categorically rejects any information that he disarmed BRICK members, arguing that the Town Hall exercises no authority over the brigade’s operations. However, the president of the CASEC of Grand-Fond confirmed that the two brigadiers involved in Eric Luc’s assassination were indeed disarmed.
The august 23-24 attack: terror and chaos
On August 23, 2026, around 10:00 p.m., armed bandits positioned in Viard, Godet, and Furcy advanced toward downtown Kenscoff. Passing through Viard 1, they went to Villier, Boucan, and Madeleine. Along the way, they carried out several diversionary actions to make it appear that multiple areas were under simultaneous attack, including Téléco, Carrefour Maroca, and Fermathe 52. This strategy forced law enforcement to move the fixed post near the Sainte-Hélène Orphanage to reinforce Fermathe 52, allowing the bandits to penetrate the city.
Upon reaching Villier and Kafou Malè, near the Police Station and Town Hall, the bandits unleashed their fury on the population. They killed men, women, young people, and children, found in their homes or trying to flee. They set houses on fire, killed those inside the L’Arche de la Nouvelle Alliance Church that was serving as a refuge, kidnapped others, and raped women and girls, including a 12-year-old child.
Thanks to a few police officers present in the city, supported by some BRICK members, a resistance was organized, ultimately preventing the bandits from taking control of the Kenscoff Police Station. After several hours of armed clashes, a team dispatched as reinforcements by DDO-1, composed of the Reaction Team and BRI officers, entered the city and joined the operations. Gunfire exchanges continued until 3:00 a.m., when the bandits began to withdraw toward their stronghold in Godet, taking Dèyè Savann and Morne Myrtil without difficulty. Throughout August 24, they continued to burn homes in Morne Myrtil.
Among the victims of that night were Rosamène Aneus, 65, sick and unable to flee, executed and burned; William Antoine, 64, and his son Williamson, 16, murdered in Villier; Yola Areus, 30, killed as she tried to flee; Peter Boucard, 21, shot in the head after being forced to carry stones to block the road; brothers Dieujuste Max Merine, 64, and Justin Merine, 70, killed inside the L’Arche de la Nouvelle Alliance Church; brothers Junior and Richard Coriolan, killed in Villier; the three brothers Jackson, Gaspard, and Williamson Chery, killed at home or while trying to flee; Drivé Désir, 70, father of 15 children, and his partner Vierge Jean, murdered at home; and many others.
RNDDH documented the assassination of Silas Jean, who worked at the Kenscoff Police Station. After being shot at least once, the bandits gouged out his eyes and cut off both his arms, which they took with them, leaving what remained of his body inside the burned house.
A catastrophic human and material toll
During the two massacres perpetrated in July and August 2026, at least 164 people were murdered. Among the identified victims are 21 people aged 65 to 90, 36 women, and 7 children. Dozens more are missing; RNDDH traced only five. At least 23 people were injured by bullets, knives, or while fleeing. Another 71 were kidnapped, and dozens of houses and vehicles were burned.
Material losses are enormous. The market gardening and livestock sectors, pillars of the local economy, had already been severely affected by the January 2025 massacre. Many arable lands remain uncultivated because they are located in areas controlled by bandits. Numerous heads of livestock were stolen. Several dozen houses, including those of Dr. William Pape, director of GHESKIO, and Magistrate Bob Joachim, sitting judge of the Kenscoff Peace Court, were burned, along with many vehicles. Displaced persons sites were also partially destroyed by fire, such as the ANC camp in Robin.
An insufficient judicial response
The judicial response to these two massacres remains largely insufficient. Judicial authorities essentially limited themselves to documenting certain corpses previously recovered by their relatives and transported to three morgues located in Fermathe 55, Thomassin 32, and Pétion-Ville. Substitute Judge Jean Paul Nordely, accompanied by the chief commissioner of the Port-au-Prince Court of First Instance, Magistrate Patterson Dorval, and Deputy Justin Joly, documented 26 corpses on August 24, 2026. No exhaustive documentation of injured persons was carried out, and material losses were not systematically documented. Only Dr. William Pape’s house was documented, on August 25, 2026.
RNDDH emphasizes that this lack of exhaustive documentation risks obscuring the true scale of the crimes committed and compromising the search for truth, the identification of responsibilities, and victims’ access to justice and reparation.
Glaring institutional failures
RNDDH points to several factors that created an environment favorable to the armed bandits’ actions. The head of the Kenscoff police station, informed of the attack’s preparation, had repeatedly requested reinforcements in human and material resources. On July 27, 2026, he requested two additional armored vehicles. The next day, another letter requested a reinforcement of operational capabilities. These requests went unanswered.
About a week before August 23, 2026, the armored vehicle securing the Kafou Malè fixed post was moved due to a lack of personnel, leaving a new breach for the bandits. The gradual recall of specialized unit agents cut by 60% the personnel assigned to security in the Kenscoff jurisdiction.
RNDDH believes that the passivity and lethargy of the Superior Council of the National Police (CSPN), the disinterest displayed by the PNH high command, the circulation of sensitive information, the drastic reduction in police personnel, and the tensions surrounding the August 23, 2026 meeting opened breaches in the security apparatus. The temporal proximity between the disarming of the brigadiers and the launch of the attack is an element that merits investigation.
The organization also notes that the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAD’H) remain indifferent to the security situation in Kenscoff, with only one contingent assigned to protect the Téléco area. The Gang Suppression Force, deployed in Haiti since May 2026, remains barely perceptible on the ground.
Displaced persons in precarious conditions
Since the August 2026 massacre, four new sites hosting displaced persons have been created: Fermathe, Cotard, Calebasse, and Grande Savane. They complement the sites at Place publique Saint-Pierre in Pétion-Ville, the Kenscoff Town Hall, and the Church of God of Kota in Fort-Jacques. In these unprepared spaces, living conditions are difficult. Food assistance provided by FAES is far from sufficient, with water supply, inputs, and condiments remaining the responsibility of the Town Hall or displaced families, who have been left without resources.
On August 28, 2026, UNICEF stated it had supported efforts that led to the release of 13 people, including 7 women and 6 children. Luckson Jean alias Frè Luckson, head of the Fondation Frère Luckson Zôn Pa Fè Moun, traveled to one of the bandits’ strongholds to participate in the recovery and support of the released persons.
RNDDH’s recommendations
Faced with this situation, RNDDH believes it is urgent that state authorities adopt all necessary measures to:
Effectively ensure the protection of the Haitian population in general, and that of Kenscoff in particular;
Sustainably strengthen security arrangements in the commune of Kenscoff;
Shed light on the circumstances surrounding the July and August 2026 massacres;
Determine individual and institutional responsibilities in order to identify and prosecute the perpetrators and accomplices of these massacres;
Exhaustively document the crimes committed against the population of Kenscoff;
Investigate the functioning of the Kenscoff Town Hall and BRICK as well as their operating methods;
Better distribute the human and material resources of the police institution;
Involve the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAD’H) in securing the Haitian population;
Organize funerals for the victims and reimburse families for funeral expenses already incurred;
Guarantee victims of the July and August 2026 massacres, their relatives, and displaced persons financial, medical, and psychological assistance as well as effective access to justice and reparation.
A new attack in september
Shortly before the report’s publication, another armed attack was orchestrated in Viard 1 and Viard 2 during the night of September 13-14, 2026. These episodes of violence illustrate, if any proof were needed, the persistent capacity of the criminal coalition Viv Ansanm to plan and multiply offensives against the civilian population.
RNDDH concludes that the repeated attacks in Kenscoff cannot be analyzed as isolated events. They reveal both the persistent operational capacity of armed bandits, their access to sensitive information, the serious inadequacies of the security apparatus, and the dramatic consequences of state authorities’ inaction in the face of threats that had nonetheless been identified.
