Haiti families plead for release of hostages after deadly gang attack

In a video released following the attack, which took place on Sunday night, gang leader Izo 2 threatened to kill the hostages if security forces launched an operation.

Many residents of Kenscoff do not know whether their kidnapped relatives are still alive.

“In my family, I am the only one who was lucky enough to be saved,” one 19-year-old man told RFI. “My mother, my sisters, my brothers, are all in the hands of the bandits. They've been kidnapped. There were nine of us in the house when the attack happened.”

Police battle to reclaim Port-au-Prince from gangs

The young man has lived in fear ever since. He says he has lost everything and is now worried about his education. He is calling on the authorities to do everything possible to secure the release of his relatives.

“My birth certificate, my official exam records, everything was reduced to ashes,” he said. “I will ask the authorities to help me pay for my education and also to help me secure the release of my family members if the bandits have not killed them.”

Haitians at home and abroad fear fallout from end of US protection

Escalating violence

On Sunday night, more than 2,600 people ​were displaced in Kenscoff – including families that had already fled their former homes due to the worsening security situation, the International Office of Migration said.

The town was once known for being peaceful. But since last year it has faced more than a dozen attacks by armed groups.

Residents told RFI's correspondent in Port-au-Prince they were still waiting for the Haitian authorities to provide a lasting response to the violence.

Country-wide, some 3,050 people were killed in the first half of this year, according to data ⁠from the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti. 

More than half ‌died during security operations, including at least 229 deemed civilians with no gang affiliations who were hit ⁠by stray bullets or drone explosions inside their homes or on the street.

This year's death toll includes at least 18 children killed during security operations, but there are no reports of investigations being opened into their deaths.

Haiti's transitional council disbands with nothing to replace it

A Kenya-led international force – first requested by the Haitian government in 2022 – was sent to back up Haiti's police but has failed to help stem the violence.

The United Nations-authorised force has since been converted to a Gang Suppression Force with a greater mandate to confront armed groups.

The country is due to hold its first elections in a decade in December.

With reporting by Peterson Luxama in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.