Gang Attack on Haiti Church Leaves 47 Dead, Dozens Kidnapped

Key Facts

Published: August 27, 2026 Location: PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti Source: Christian Post, Reuters, Associated Press, Agenzia Fides

• At least 47 people were killed in a gang attack in Kenscoff, near Port-au-Prince.
• U.N. officials said 22 victims were reportedly executed inside a church compound.
• More than 50 people were kidnapped following the attack.
• The Church of the Ark of the New Covenant had reportedly been sheltering displaced residents.

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Worthy News) – At least 47 people were killed and more than 50 others were kidnapped after armed gangs stormed the hilltop community of Kenscoff, near Haiti’s capital, in one of the latest brutal attacks to shake the country’s collapsing security landscape.

The assault, carried out during the night of August 23–24, targeted homes and a church compound where displaced residents had reportedly taken shelter. U.N. officials said 22 of the victims were executed inside the church compound, underscoring the growing danger faced by civilians seeking refuge from Haiti’s gang violence.

Christian Post, citing Catholic missionary news agency Agenzia Fides, reported that the buildings burned in the attack included a worship center connected to the evangelical Church of the Ark of the New Covenant. The church had reportedly been sheltering people forced from their homes by earlier violence.

Residents said gangs also burned homes, vehicles, and animals during the raid. The attack prompted anger in Kenscoff, where locals accused police of failing to protect the community even as the violence unfolded near security positions.

Haiti’s government condemned the massacre and said reinforcements were being sent to support local police. But the killings have deepened fears that gangs remain able to strike with little resistance, even in areas that had seen temporary reductions in violence earlier this year.

The massacre comes as Haiti continues to face a widening humanitarian and security crisis, with armed groups controlling large parts of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas. For Christians in Haiti, the attack is another painful reminder that churches have become both places of refuge and targets in a nation desperate for order, protection, and peace.

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