More than 50 kidnapped after violent gang attack in Haiti leaves 47 dead

It is believed to be one of the largest mass kidnappings in Haiti in recent years, and one gang leader is threatening to kill the hostages.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — At least 47 people were killed and more than 50 others kidnapped after armed men attacked a once-peaceful community near Haiti’s capital earlier this week, the United Nations said Tuesday.

It is believed to be one of the largest mass kidnappings in Haiti in recent years, and one gang leader is threatening to kill the hostages if authorities kill any gang members as they try to secure the community nestled in the hills above Port-au-Prince.

Sunday’s attack on Kenscoff pierced the belief that security in the troubled Caribbean country was improving.

“This is a major political and security test, for the government, for the police and for the international mission alike,” said Romain Le Cour, head of Haiti Observatory at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

He said the threat of executing hostages is a trap: If forces don’t act, they’ve failed to protect them; if they do and hostages die, the gangs will blame the state.