Haitian Gang Releases Women and Children After Kidnapping and Massacre ####

In a rare act of mercy amidst the ongoing violence in Haiti, a notorious gang has released a group of women and children following a mass kidnapping and a deadly attack on a community near Port-au-Prince. According to UNICEF, six children and seven women, including three infants under the age of two, a 7-year-old, and two teenage girls, were freed by the gang.

"This release offers a rare moment of hope amid the violence threatening children in Haiti," Yannig Dussart, UNICEF's deputy representative in Haiti, commented. "The Kenscoff abduction was not an isolated incident but another stark reminder of the scale and frequency of attacks on children across the country."

The gang, known for its brutal tactics, had abducted more than 50 people in the Kenscoff area, a once-peaceful farming community nestled in the hills above Haiti's capital. UNICEF collaborated with local community leaders to facilitate the release of the women and children, though it remains unclear if they require medical attention or if there are additional captives still being held.

Kidnappings in Haiti are not uncommon, but mass abductions like this are more unusual. The outcomes of such incidents can vary significantly, with some captives released without ransom while others are killed despite multiple ransom payments.

The gang responsible for the Kenscoff attack, led by a leader known as Izo 2, threatened to execute all the hostages if police killed any gang members during their efforts to secure the area. Izo 2 is part of an armed group that operates in the region on behalf of other powerful gang leaders, including Izo, who is considered one of Haiti's most influential gang leaders.

The recent attack has sparked an outcry at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, where diplomats called for the swift deployment of a new UN-backed gang-fighting force and action to rein in the lawless bands. The meeting, called by the United States, Panama, and Colombia, expressed horror at the brutal attack.

Luis Ruiz Massieu, the UN special envoy to Haiti, welcomed the decision by Haiti's authorities to bring together the national police, armed forces, and the gang suppression force to assess developments and coordinate plans. It was agreed that the gang suppression force would strengthen its presence in Port-au-Prince and that Haitian forces would reinforce their deployment in Kenscoff.

However, the UN envoy and many council speakers emphasized the urgent need to strengthen international security support for Haiti. U.S. Deputy Ambassador Jennifer Locetta said the United States is "resolute and as committed as ever to supporting Haitian-led security efforts to end gang terror."

Locetta urged UN members to provide equipment and resources to enable the gang suppression force to deploy as quickly as possible, and to invest in jobs, infrastructure, and other opportunities to provide an alternative path to joining a gang. She noted that gang coalitions have publicly stated they are seeking to prevent Haitian voters from electing their representatives in a future election and that "terrorists" cannot be allowed to take democracy hostage.

Indrika Ratwatte, the acting assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, told the Security Council that the Kenscoff attack forced more than 2,600 people to flee their homes, many for the second or third time. He said people are traumatized, searching for missing relatives, and uncertain about the future.

Nearly 1.5 million people, 12% of Haiti's population, are internally displaced, half of them children, Ratwatte said. He also mentioned the ongoing deportations from the Dominican Republic and the Trump administration's push to remove Haitians living and working legally in the U.S. and others whose visas had expired or who had entered illegally.

"In the first eight months of 2026, almost 200,000 people were forcibly returned, a 10% increase compared with the same period last year," Ratwatte said, many arriving with nothing. He called the violence, especially toward women, girls, and children, "shocking" and noted that the UN's humanitarian partners "recorded over 5,500 incidents of gender-based violence, or about 30 cases per day, in the first six months of the year alone."