Kenscoff Gang Releases 13 Hostages — Six Children, Seven Women — After UN Pressure

The gang holding more than 50 hostages seized in the August 23 Kenscoff massacre released 13 captives late on August 29, 2026 — six children (including three under age 2, a 7-year-old, and two teenage girls) and seven women. The United Nations announced the release, which came days after UN Special Representative Carlos Ruiz Massieu briefed the Security Council on the massacre and gang leader Johnson "Izo 2" André's threats to kill hostages if security forces moved against the gang. UNICEF's deputy representative in Haiti called the release "a rare moment of hope amid the violence threatening children in Haiti," while UN officials cautioned the massacre "is not an isolated tragedy" but part of a broader pattern of gang violence. More than 40 hostages, including women and children, remained in gang custody as of the release, and no rescue operation had been reported.