Gang attack on church shelter in Haiti kills around 40

Gang members attacked displaced people sheltering inside a church near Haiti's capital, killing around 40, some of them execution-style, the mayor told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Monday.

"We have counted around 40 bodies. Searches are continuing. Some people are still missing," said Massillon Jean, mayor of Kenscoff, a town in the hills above the capital, following the attack on Sunday night. He described "a night of terror" in a town that has been plagued by gang violence for months.

"The bandits raided a displaced persons camp located in a church. They executed several people. There are fatalities and dozens of wounded. 

Some people were abducted by the criminals," Jean said.

In a statement issued after the attack, the office of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime expressed "deep compassion" for the bereaved families and all the victims. The government said reinforcements would be sent to restore security in the area.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has endured years of chronic political instability, natural disasters, corruption and violence from powerful gangs that carry out killings, rapes, looting and kidnappings. The gangs control much of the capital city.

The crisis deepened in early 2024, when gangs launched a wave of violence that forced the unelected prime minister to resign. Haiti has not held an election of any kind since 2016. 

Its last president, Jovenel Moise, was assassinated in July 2021 and never replaced. A general election is scheduled for December.