PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, Aug 24, CMC – A coalition of criminal hangs led by Viv Ansanm is being blamed for an upsurge in violence on Sunday night that left at least 30 people dead in the hillside community of Kenscoff overlooking the capital, Port-au-Prince.

The Office of the Prime Minister has since condemned the “heinous attack”, adding that  all security forces have been placed on high alert and reinforcements were being deployed.

In a statement, the office said that “Kenscoff will not be abandoned” and that “the government’s authority will be restored, without weakness and without delay, throughout all of ‌Kenscoff.”

Kenscoff’s mayor Jean Massillon told reporters on Monday that “it was a night of terror” and videos, circulating on social media show members of the powerful Ansanm coalition storming  the town’s center and going on a killing spree.

The gang members attacked attacked a church filled with people already fleeing gang violence, killing residents and torching vehicles and homes with the videos showing. bludgeoned bodies lying in pools of blood.

“They entered many homes and killed people; they also sequestered and kidnapped many others. A lot of people called us and said they had relatives who were killed. Some people said they saw more than 40 dead along the route, but we can’t confirm that yet,”  Jean said.

He said among the missing was his cousin, who works on his security staff.

“We’re looking for him, trying to retrace his steps. We tried calling him, but couldn’t find him. We don’t know if he’s been kidnapped or killed.”

Haitian rights group RNDDH estimates 30 to 40 people had been killed and 15 to 20 wounded in the overnight raid.

According to data from the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), in the first quarter of the year -January-March 2026- violence has caused at least 1,642 deaths and 745 injuries.