13 hostages, including six children, freed after deadly Kenscoff attack, UNICEF says

Thirteen people kidnapped during a deadly gang assault on Kenscoff last weekend have been freed, the U.N. Children’s Fund said Friday, offering a rare bright spot in a crisis that has displaced thousands and left dozens dead in the hillside community overlooking the capital.

UNICEF said the freed captives include six children and seven women. Among the children are three younger than 2, a 7-year-old and two teenage girls. The agency said it worked alongside community leaders to help secure the releases, which came after several days of captivity.

“This release offers a rare moment of hope amid the violence threatening children in Haiti,” said Yannig Dussart, UNICEF’s deputy representative in Haiti, adding that the Kenscoff abduction reflected the broader scale of attacks on children nationwide.

The 13 released were among more than 50 people gang members abducted after storming Kenscoff on the night of August 23.

The United Nations has said 47 people were killed and 22 injured in the assault, according to figures cited by Amnesty International. Some reports put the total number of people who fled the area at more than 2,600, most taking shelter with host families in neighboring Pétion-Ville, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Discrepancy in Total Freed

While UNICEF’s tally of 13 freed hostages was echoed by The Associated Press and other international outlets, at least one Haitian news outlet, Télépluriel, reported that 19 people in total were released, with six children and seven women among them. That outlet credited the releases in part to the intervention of a community figure known locally as “Frè Luckson Zòn Pa Fè Moun.” The discrepancy in the overall number could not be independently confirmed.