Christians in Haiti are determined to persevere in faith, despite increased cases of violence .
According to human rights watchdog, International Christian concern, (ICC), between August 23 to 24, more than 50 people were kidnapped, and 47 people were killed in an attack in Haiti’s Kenscoff commune.
The acts were carried out by the Viv Ansanm gang, which, according to the United Nations, is led by Jimmy Chérizier. The organization said that the group was formed in September 2023 as a coalition of gangs through an alliance between the two main gang factions operating in Port-au-Prince, G-9 and G-Pèp. Viv Ansantom provides a unified platform for criminal groups to use violence to destabilize Haiti and derail actions aimed at restoring state control.
According to the ICC, the attack started at 10:30 p.m. and lasted through the next morning. The gang swept through the community, kidnapping residents and setting animals and homes ablaze. It is believed that their main target was the Evangelical church Ark of the New Testament.
A number of families who were displaced by violence within Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, sought refuge in the church’s prayer center. According to a statement from the country’s secretary general, at least 22 people were executed within the church’s walls.
Reacting to the attacks, the Haitian government expresses its condolences to the grieving families and to victims. It also pledged to respond with the force of the law.
“The Haitian government expresses its deep condolences to the grieving families and to all victims of the heinous criminal attack committed in Kenscoff. But let us not be mistaken: this mourning is also a challenge. And in response to this challenge, the government responds with the force of the law and the legitimate exercise of public power.”
The U.N. also revealed that the Viv Ansam and several rival gangs have been fighting for control of Port-au-Prince and displaced more than 18,000 residents.
They are now forcing their influence into surrounding regions, with Viv Ansam attacking nearby agricultural communities since last year.
Other organizations are also reacting to the tragedy, with María Fernanda Aroch of Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) describing the assaults as “yet another example of how gangs rely on large-scale killings of civilians to subdue the local population and establish their authority,”
Amnesty International responded to the tragedy, calling on the government to increase the protection for its citizens.
“Sadly, we are once again witnessing another massacre in Haiti,” Astrid Valencia, deputy regional director for Research for the Americas, declared, “We urge the Haitian authorities and the international community to redouble their efforts to protect people from the escalating violence by armed gangs.”
