A brutal attack by an armed gang in the Haitian town of Kenescoff has killed at least 42 people, local radio station Tele Galaxie reported. The tragedy took place on the night of August 24, with local authorities warning that the death toll could rise. Kenscoff is a mountainous commune located in close proximity to the capital Port-au-Prince, and occupies a strategic position on the roads to the diplomatic district of Petion-Ville.
According to information from the global news agency TASS, the attackers invaded the city at around 10:30 p.m. local time, opening indiscriminate fire on civilians and setting fire to dozens of residential buildings. Among the burned properties is the home of the famous Haitian public health expert Jean William Pape. The local human rights sector, represented by the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH), also confirms dozens of deaths and injuries in the latest wave of violence.
The office of the country's new Prime Minister Alix Didier Fiss-Aime strongly condemned the “heinous attack“ and expressed condolences to the relatives of the deceased. The government has assured that large-scale police reinforcements are already being sent to the area to restore state control. However, residents of Kenscoff reacted angrily and demanded the resignation of the local police chief, as the mass murder took place only minutes away from the police station.
The security crisis in Haiti continues to deepen, as the criminal coalition “Viv Ansanm“ controls over 70% of the capital and its suburbs. Official data from the United Nations (UN) indicate that over 1.5 million people in the Caribbean country are internally displaced due to constant gang wars, and more than 5 million suffer from acute hunger. Another pogrom seriously questions the possibility of holding the country's long-delayed general elections, which are scheduled to take place in December.