UN Security Council Holds Emergency Session on Kenscoff Massacre, Presses for Faster Gang Suppression Force Deployment

The UN Security Council convened an emergency 10216th meeting on August 28, 2026 to address the Kenscoff massacre and Haiti's broader security collapse. UN Special Representative for Haiti Carlos Ruiz Massieu told the Council that "on the night of 23 to 24 August, gangs launched a brutal attack, killing dozens of people, including three boys and two girls," and cited BINUH's Q2 2026 figures of 1,408 people killed and 656 injured between April and June alone, calling the toll a "devastating human cost." He urged members to effectively activate and operationalize the specialized judicial units responsible for investigating mass crimes, sexual violence, and financial crimes, saying doing so "is crucial for restoring public confidence in State institutions." Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Indrika Ratwatte briefed on the humanitarian response. Representatives of Panama, Colombia, the US, Russia, the UK, Denmark, Greece, Bahrain, Pakistan, France, DR Congo, Liberia, Somalia, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Haiti spoke, with several members — including France and Pakistan — raising continued illicit weapons flows into Haiti despite the UN arms embargo in place since 2022. Speakers called to accelerate deployment of the Gang Suppression Force (authorized under Resolution 2793) to its full 5,500-person mandate; Chad and Mongolia have already signed troop agreements, while talks continue with Jamaica, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh over further contributions and airlift support.