Global Intelligence Summary

On the night of 23 August, heavily armed members of the Viv Ansanm gang coalition conducted a large-scale attack in Kenscoff, a mountainous commune located approximately 10km southeast of the capital, Port-au-Prince. The attack targeted multiple locations across the town and surrounding areas, including residential neighbourhoods, vehicles and a church being used to shelter internally displaced persons (IDPs).

According to UN channels, at least 47 people were killed and 22 injured; however, an exact casualty figure remains hard to determine due to local insecurity and difficulty in accessing the area. Several people were also reportedly abducted, local homes were also set on fire and livestock were attacked. In response, the Haitian government placed security forces on heightened alert and announced that reinforcements would be sent to the area.

Solace Global Assessment: 

TheViv Ansanm gang coalition, which was formed in 2023 out of a merger of several powerful gangs including G-9 and G-pép, currently controls approximately 90 per cent of the Haitian capital and has expanded into three of Haiti’s ten departments. Led by former police officer Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier, the gang has sometimes styled itself as a “political” force and demanded a government role, but in practice has systematically attacked all government institutions, as well as non-government actors engaged in the provision of basic services, including churches and NGOs engaged in humanitarian relief efforts.

The Kenscoff area has long been an epicentre of clashes between government forces and gangs, with periodic violence continuing since 2024, and clashes recorded as recently as mid-August 2026. Kenscoff is a strategically important area, as it is located on the Kenscoff-Marigot road, one of the main roadways leading to Port-au-Prince. Much of the area also lies at approximately 1,500-2,000 metres elevation, giving armed groups that control the surrounding hills commanding positions over key roads and approaches to the capital, as well as the commune of Pétion-Ville, an area under government control where numerous government offices, banks, and embassies are located.

Gaining full control of Kenscoff would likely provide the gangs with greater ability to pressure Pétion-Ville and other government-held areas, while placing them in a better position to disrupt one of the remaining routes between Port-au-Prince and the south of Haiti, which largely remains under government control. Isolating southern Haiti from the capital would also likely help the gangs consolidate power in the capital region by restricting government reinforcement and resupply routes.

The UN Security Council authorised Gang Suppression Force (GSF), which was established in September 2025, to replace the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support Mission, has yet to fully reach operational capacity. The GSF has only around 1,000 personnel deployed to Haiti, but is set to reach 5,550 personnel. Securing control of Kenscoff is likely a key objective of the gangs before the GSF reaches its full operational capacity to disrupt future counter-gang operations. Further offensives on Kenscoff are highly likely before the GSF expands its presence and counter-gang operations.

The attack also occurred only days before 30 August, the original date for Haiti’s first-round elections before the timetable was revised in July. The last Haitian elections were held in 2016, and elections have been repeatedly delayed since 2019. The government is now proposing to hold elections on 13 December 2026. Large-scale attacks have likely further undermined the central government’s authority and reduced its ability to create the security conditions required for elections, with disrupting or preventing a national election likely another key objective for the gangs seeking to preserve their influence and control.