Haiti police are facing growing criticism after a gang attack in Kenscoff killed 47 people and left more than 50 others kidnapped.
The attack has raised serious questions about whether authorities had enough information to prevent the violence and protect residents of the once-peaceful farming community.
Police spokesperson Garry Desrosiers faced journalists on Thursday, but provided few details about the security operation or efforts to rescue the hostages.
Police Decline to Reveal Rescue Plans
Desrosiers said police were working to address the kidnapping crisis but refused to discuss operational plans publicly.
“We cannot talk about any plans,” he said when asked what authorities were doing to secure the release of those kidnapped.
The response came after a gang leader reportedly threatened to execute the hostages if police killed members of his group.
Desrosiers offered condolences to families affected by the attack, which began late Sunday.
Thousands Forced From Their Homes
The violence has displaced more than 2,600 people, according to the U.N. International Organization for Migration.
Many residents have been forced to leave their homes as security forces attempt to regain control of the area.
Police said they were working to help displaced residents eventually return, although officials did not provide a detailed timetable.
Questions have also emerged about whether authorities had intelligence warning of an imminent attack.
Desrosiers said police had been gathering intelligence but declined to provide further information.
Gang Threat Raises New Security Concerns
Police are also monitoring threats against Tabarre, a Port-au-Prince neighborhood where the U.S. Embassy is located.
Desrosiers confirmed that authorities were aware of the threat but said he could not provide detailed information.
National Police chief Vladimir Paraison was absent from Thursday’s news conference.
Paraison previously defended security measures in Kenscoff and said an investigation would examine whether the attack resulted from negligence or possible complicity.
Violence Had Previously Declined
The latest attack came despite an earlier reduction in violence in Kenscoff.
Between January and August, security operations had helped reduce violence in the area by 66%, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project.
Sunday’s attack has therefore raised fresh concerns about the ability of security forces to maintain those gains.
US Deports More Haitians
The crisis also comes as the United States continues deporting Haitians to their country.
More than 50 people arrived in northern Haiti on Thursday on a deportation flight. The group included two young children, according to Haiti’s National Office of Migration.
The flight landed in Cap-Haitien because authorities consider Port-au-Prince’s main international airport too dangerous.
Among those deported was professional boxer Jay Dabelus, who said he had spent more than two decades living in the United States.
“I don’t know anything about Haiti,” Dabelus said, explaining that he had left the Bahamas as a young child.
Concerns Over Deportees’ Safety
Human rights advocates have expressed concern about returning people to Haiti while armed groups control large areas of the country.
Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, said the organization was deeply concerned about the safety of Haitians returned to a country where authorities cannot currently guarantee their protection.
Thursday’s flight was the second deportation flight since Temporary Protected Status ended for some 350,000 Haitians in the United States.
The first flight arrived on August 20 with more than 160 people, including TPS holders.
Gang Violence Deepens Haiti’s Crisis
Haiti’s security crisis continues to displace communities and worsen poverty and hunger.
Nearly 1.5 million people have been displaced across the country, while more than 3,050 people were reportedly killed between January and June, according to U.N. figures.
Armed groups control an estimated 70% of Port-au-Prince and significant areas elsewhere in the country.
The latest Kenscoff attack has intensified pressure on Haiti’s security authorities to explain how the gangs were able to launch such a deadly assault and what steps will be taken to protect civilians from further violence.
