A powerful gang coalition attacked a farming community in the hills above Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, late Sunday, killing multiple residents and setting fire to homes, according to a local official. The U.S. government designated the gang coalition, Viv Ansanm, as a foreign terrorist organization last year.
Kenscoff Mayor Jean Massillon told The Associated Press that armed men raided the community, but that access difficulties and communication problems are hindering efforts to determine a definitive death toll. Survivors discovered the bodies of friends and family members on the streets Monday morning.
Mathurin Pierre, a 41-year-old farmer, stated that he lost 14 relatives and that an unknown number remain missing. Massillon attributed the attack to members of Viv Ansanm, who he said "sowed chaos." The gang members reportedly targeted a church and homes, including those belonging to Dr. Jean “Bill” Pape, a physician known for his work with an NGO assisting patients with HIV and tuberculosis.
Gangs are estimated to control about 70% of the capital. Viv Ansanm has repeatedly targeted Kenscoff, a community adjacent to Port-au-Prince. Gang violence has displaced a record 1.5 million people across Haiti, with over 3,100 reported killed and 1,189 injured between January and June, according to United Nations statistics.
The attack occurred less than a week after the U.S. government deported over 160 people to Haiti. This marked the first deportation of this kind since the Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status for approximately 350,000 Haitians. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security stated that those deported included individuals with criminal records for offenses such as assault and drug trafficking. Haiti's government has indicated that some deportees were TPS holders.
Haiti is scheduled to hold general elections on December 13, the first in more than a decade. Voter registration is underway in Port-au-Prince and other areas, despite warnings from experts that the current security situation makes holding elections too dangerous.