Less than 48 hours after a brutal mass killing shook the mountainous Haitian town of Kenscoff, the top leadership of the Haitian National Police (PNH) traveled to the violence-stricken community on August 26, 2026 to evaluate the aftermath and shore up security amid widespread grief and calls for accountability.
Leading the delegation was Vladimir Paraison, the Acting Director General of the PNH, who was joined by multiple senior members of the police high command. The official trip came in direct response to a coordinated attack carried out by armed groups overnight between August 23 and 24, 2026, which preliminary reports confirm left at least 60 people dead.
During the visit, Paraison held closed-door talks with local municipal leaders and the commander of the Kenscoff district police station to map out the full scope of the violence and align on urgent security interventions. Following these discussions, Paraison issued formal orders to deploy additional elite, specialized PNH units to the areas most impacted by the attack, boosting visible patrols and response capacity to prevent further bloodshed.
In a public statement following the meetings, Paraison extended his deepest condolences to the families of those killed and injured in the massacre, emphasizing that the national police force remains unwavering in its commitment to holding every perpetrator and accomplice accountable. He specifically directed the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police (DCPJ) to launch a full, unobstructed investigation into all circumstances surrounding the attack, with a key focus on uncovering how heavily armed assailants were able to infiltrate the core of the Kenscoff commune without detection.
The investigation’s mandated outcomes are clear: PNH high command aims to uncover any internal complicity or institutional negligence that allowed the attack to proceed, identify all individuals linked to the planning and execution of the massacre, assign clear legal and institutional responsibility, and pursue full legal action against all parties found responsible.