Haiti has launched an urgent, coordinated security offensive against armed criminal groups after a brutal massacre that left at least 60 civilians dead in the commune of Kenscoff, carried out by the violent gang coalition Viv Ansanm over the August 23–24 weekend. The atrocity triggered an immediate emergency response from the Haitian government, with Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé — who leads both the national government and the Superior Council of the National Police (CSPN) — calling an urgent crisis meeting with CSPN stakeholders at the Prime Minister’s official headquarters on Wednesday, August 26, 2026.
Addressing the meeting, the Prime Minister issued a firm, uncompromising promise to hold perpetrators accountable, stating that the Haitian government’s resolve to end gang violence is unshakable. “We will take the initiative, track down those responsible, and dismantle the criminal networks that terrorize the population. The Kenscoff massacre will not go unpunished,” Fils-Aimé declared.
The crisis session allowed security leaders to conduct a full updated assessment of ongoing gang threats across the country and strengthen cross-agency coordination, setting three clear non-negotiable objectives: break the territorial control held by armed criminal groups, reestablish widespread public order, and protect civilian lives across violence-affected regions.
Acting directly on the Prime Minister’s orders, Justice and Public Security Minister Dr. Patrick Pélissier gathered senior security leaders the same day to plan immediate on-the-ground deployment. Attendees included the Director General of the Haitian National Police (PNH), the commander of the national Anti-Gang Force, Haiti’s civilian security representative, the Minister of Defense, and Major General Jonas Jean of the Haitian Armed Forces (FAd’H).
Fils-Aimé issued a direct order to immediately ramp up targeted security operations across Haiti’s metropolitan area and its surrounding outskirts. New operational protocols were formally adopted to systematically hunt down the perpetrators of the Kenscoff massacre, dismantle transnational and local gang networks, and retake full control of territory that has been occupied and controlled by violent armed groups for months.
In an official statement released following the meetings, the Haitian government reaffirmed its unwavering full support for both the Haitian National Police and the Haitian Armed Forces, noting that all available state resources are being mobilized to restore the rule of law across the country and safeguard the Haitian population from ongoing gang violence.