“Haiti cannot become a vast cemetery”: alarm raised by Mgr Dumas after gang attack leaves at least 47 dead
On the night of 23 to 24 August, more than 47 people were killed by armed gangs in Kenscoff, a Haitian town near Port-au-Prince. Mgr Pierre-André Dumas, Vice-President of the Bishops’ Conference, has issued an urgent plea to the government.
The attack lasted several hours. During the “night of terror” from 23 to 24 August, armed gangs attacked, among other locations, an evangelical church sheltering displaced people who had fled violence in Kenscoff, a town of around 50,000 residents situated in the mountains near the capital, Port-au-Prince. The exact number of victims is not yet known, but it exceeds 47 dead. Dozens more are injured and missing.
In a statement published on 25 August, titled “Stop the massacres! Enough! Enough is enough! This is too much!”, Mgr Pierre-André Dumas – Bishop of the Diocese of Anse-à-Veau-Miragoâne and Vice-President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference – urged Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé and his government to act immediately to protect Haitians: “Prime Minister, a moment comes in a nation’s history when remaining silent becomes morally impossible,” writes Mgr Dumas, who in February 2024 was severely injured in an explosion that struck the house where he was staying in Port-au-Prince.
“That moment has arrived. We can no longer satisfy ourselves with press releases following massacres. The safety of the population is not a favour granted by the State: it is one of its fundamental obligations.”
A few lines further on, he asks: “How many more deaths will it take for the protection of human life to become the absolute priority of the Haitian State? […] Haiti cannot become a vast cemetery […] The time has come to act.”
Specifically, the bishop calls for “a national emergency plan to be established, responsibilities to be determined, impunity to be brought to an end, and those responsible for the massacres to be prosecuted.” Finally, speaking bluntly, the prelate warns: “When the threats of a massacre are known in advance, the State must act in advance. Because to govern is to foresee.”
The tentacles of gang control
The Kenscoff attack comes against a backdrop of extreme insecurity. Gangs, which already control 90% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, as well as the strategic regions of Artibonite and Centre, continue to expand their power. By imposing tolls on major transit routes, they have effectively become the masters of the country, spreading terror across the whole territory.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), nearly 1.4 million people, including over 741,000 children, are internally displaced. A total of 8,100 homicides have been recorded. Half of the population – six million people – is in need of humanitarian aid.
In this climate of fear and the total breakdown of institutions, the Church has also become a target of this violence. In recent statements to the international foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Mgr Joseph Gontrand Décoste, Bishop of Jérémie, described the role currently played by the Church in the country: “We are the last retaining wall of defense: moral, ethical, spiritual, and prophetic… That is why they want to eliminate us.”
The impact on Church life
This scourge of gang activity is taking a terrible toll on the running of the ten dioceses. In Port-au-Prince, 40 parishes have closed, around ten in the Central Plateau, and five in Artibonite. Although other dioceses have been less affected so far, they fear the gangs’ advance.
As one of the very few institutions speaking out against gang control, the Church is particularly targeted, as demonstrated by the murder of two nuns from the Little Sisters of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus on 31 March 2025 in the town of Mirebalais, in central Haiti. The kidnappings of priests and religious personnel have also been a recurring issue in recent years: in 2024 alone, ACN recorded 18 cases in the country.
Numerous institutions have also been attacked and subsequently forced to close, including the provincial houses of the Salesian Sisters, the Sisters of Saint Anne, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, and many others. After storming these sites, the gangs set them on fire or set up their bases inside them. Many Catholic schools, some with over a century of history, have suffered the same fate, including centres run by the Franciscan Sisters of Saint Francis of Assisi, the Daughters of Wisdom, and the Sisters of Charity of Saint Louis.
In this situation of immense distress, the Church continues its work, constantly adapting to circumstances and keeping hope alive, as demonstrated by the testimonials and projects supported by ACN across various dioceses in the country.
Mgr Pierre-André Dumas concludes his statement with a lengthy prayer for the victims of Kenscoff and for Haiti: “May God comfort Kenscoff! May God protect our people! May God save Haiti!”
