Kenscoff under attack : Heartbreaking accounts from witnesses who lived through the horror

The City of Kenscoff provisionally estimates the death toll at around 50, with some 60 houses torched

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A winding, unpaved mountain road leading to the southeast of the country remains the only overland exit from Port-au-Prince in relative safety. The north and south routes are entirely under the control of armed gangs.

This tranquility, disturbed only by the ever-increasing number of horses, motorcycles, and 4x4s, could soon disappear.

This week, bandits from the Krisla gang operating in Ti Bwa attempted to take control of the Kenscoff road, a municipal official revealed to AyiboPost.

A satellite view of the town of Kenscoff. Captured: Jan 30, 2025 | © Google Maps

The City of Kenscoff provisionally estimates the death toll at around 50, with some 60 houses torched.

For three days, these criminals – who occupy the commune of Carrefour – have continued their attacks against the communal sections of Bongars and Sourçailles in Kenscoff, with two objectives.

The City of Kenscoff provisionally estimates the death toll at around 50, with some 60 houses torched.

“First, take control of the Kenscoff police station, then seize the road leading to the South-East, mainly Jacmel,” Emmanuel Pierre, administrator of the Kenscoff town hall, explains to AyiboPost.

The bandits are slow to reveal their plans. But the administrator does not rule out the idea of ​​the possible introduction of toll booths on the road, as is the case in the north and south of Port-au-Prince.

On the night of January 26, the bandits coming from Carrefour passed through Rivière Froide to arrive at Berlie, Barouette, to the Kafou Bèt area in Kenscoff.

These areas provide access to the lower part of Séguin, where the part of the road linking the West Department to the Southern Peninsula is located.

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The bandits confronted police in the town of Godet.

Clashes continued until January 29, in Ka Fonvyen and Nan Peno which lead to Séguin.

Eight days before the attack, a voice note circulated on social networks, claiming that Dimitri Hérard, former head of security at the national palace, imprisoned in connection with the assassination of Jovenel Moïse, was leading a troop to attack Kenscoff.

Read also: Dimitri Hérard is the subject of an investigation in the United States for arms trafficking in Haiti

The rumor pushed the municipal authorities to publish a press release announcing the suspension of all cultural activities in the area and the establishment of a curfew.

It was 5 o’clock in the afternoon on Monday, January 27 when Christophe Sauveur learned that bandits had just murdered 11 members of his family in Kenscoff.

This bloody day also cost the life of his father, aged 70, who was mercilessly shot dead.

The mayor, Massillon Jean, addresses the displaced people housed in the Kenscoff town hall. | © Protection Civile

“The bandits tied up my father, then shot him in the head,” explains Sauveur, an introductory economics teacher at the Kenscoff national high school.

The other members of the family, trapped in the village of Ti Plas in the locality of Bongars, either died from a bullet to the head or were disemboweled during the attack.

Panicked, the population tried to escape by hiding in the forest, while the criminals pursued them to kill them.

It was 5 o’clock in the afternoon on Monday, January 27 when Christophe Sauveur learned that bandits had just murdered 11 members of his family in Kenscoff.

“I have a cousin who was shot while trying to escape with his daughter. The latter had time to escape through a ravine,” relates Sauveur.

“This tragedy devastated the family. We still cannot bear this pain,” continues the father of three, in a faint voice.

Sauveur and his family cannot go to the site of the shootings to recover the remains because the bandits are there. 

Since the attacks, displaced people have taken refuge at two main sites: one within the Kenscoff town hall, where around 300 people, including nursing mothers and young children are housed; and the other at the National School of Furcy.

Other displaced people are received by host families.

This mother of five children has spent her nights on Place Saint-Pierre in Pétion-Ville since the beginning of the attack.

Before, she lived in “Tèt Mòn,” but she had to flee the day before the attack.

“Since Sunday evening, I have been hiding in the forest with my children,” relates this lady, who says she witnessed the execution of two people that day.

The bandits burned down her house in Tèt Mòn; since then, she’s been living on the streets. “I don’t know where to go yet, so I’m sleeping in Place Saint-Pierre,” she says.

More and more people are taking refuge in this public square.

“Since Sunday until Wednesday, the social affairs department has identified 1,500 displaced people on Place Saint-Pierre,” says Danley Hilaire, assistant head of the social affairs department at Pétion-Ville City Hall.

Municipal officials also report limited resources to care for displaced people.

André Gustave Louis declares having left his house on the afternoon of January 27, in the locality of Kikwa.

At the scene, his sister, hidden under a bed, the same evening, informed him that bandits had come knocking at the door, without being able to enter, explains the former member of the 49th legislature.

At a distance of 24 km from the capital, Port-au-Prince, this commune with lush vegetation offers an appealing environment for visitors from different regions of the West department, thirsty for nature hikes, picnics or stays in the mountains.

Since the violent attack, small shops have been opening timidly, while large businesses remain closed in the locality, according to municipal manager, Emmanuel Pierre.

The Kenscoff National High School has closed its doors.

This institution, founded 8 years ago and welcoming 600 students, counts the majority of its staff among those affected by the attack in the area.

“We have stopped operating since Monday, when we should be administering exams next Monday. But we don’t know when this will be possible,” Rony Elphilus, director of the high school, tells AyiboPost.

Several popular institutions in the area, such as the ecological complex, Ranch Le Montcel, the Wynne Farm ecological reserve and the country-style Chalet du Refuge, are virtually out of commission.

Contacted by telephone, a receptionist reminded us that Ranch Le Montcel has been closed “since 2023 due to insecurity”.

We have stopped operating since Monday, when we should be administering exams next Monday. But we don’t know when this will be possible

As for the Wynne Farm reserve, home to more than 600 endemic animal and plant species, it resumed its activities a few months ago after closing its doors in March 2023 due to insecurity.

“People were gradually regaining confidence, and visitors were coming to picnic at Wynne Farm,” says a worker at the ecological farm.

Since the attacks in Kenscoff, all activities on the farm have been suspended. No official communication has yet been issued.

Officials distribute clothing to refugees. | © Protection Civile

The Chalet du Refuge, for its part, remains temporarily open, its manager, Jean-Claude Coles, said anxiously.

Officials distribute clothing to refugees. | © Protection Civile

Several specialized units of the national police such as BOID, SWAT, UTAG and BLTS are intervening in Kenscoff. Situated at an altitude of 1,500 meters and benefiting from a cool climate, the commune remains the country’s main source of market produce.

However, the police cannot intervene in the communal sections of Bongars and part of Kafou Bèt, due to inaccessible roads.

Members of the population are organizing themselves into self-defense groups, like this motorcycle cab driver.

Situated at an altitude of 1,500 meters and benefiting from a cool climate, the commune remains the country’s main source of market garden produce.

Greens ready to be harvested in the locality of Greffin, Kenscoff.

Since the day of the attack, his wife, his two children and his little sister have taken refuge in Pétion-Ville to escape the fury of the gangs.

Having never witnessed such an atrocious situation before, he’s joined a self-protection group in the area.

“I work during the day, then in the evening, I join the brigade, because it is an obligation to defend my community, even at the risk of my own life,” says the 32-year-old driver.