Overview:
Following the secure launch of eight hostages—together with Irish missionary Gena Heraty and a younger little one—kidnapped on August 3 by the “Viv Ansanm” gang in Kenscoff, St. Damien Pediatric and St. Luke hospitals introduced on Aug. 29 the reopening of their providers in Port-au-Prince. The kidnapping, a part of a broader wave of violence that has turned Kenscoff right into a warfare zone since January 2025, displays the deepening nationwide disaster marked by mass displacement, destruction and gang management over strategic infrastructure.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — The St. Luke Basis and Our Little Brothers and Sisters have introduced the reopening of St. Damien Pediatric and St. Luke hospitals after the discharge of eight hostages who have been kidnapped from Saint Hélène orphanage in Kenscoff final month.
The victims, kidnapped Aug. 3 by the Viv Ansanm gang, included Irish missionary Gena Heraty and a three-year-old little one. They have been freed after greater than 25 days in captivity.
In a joint statement on Aug. 29, the faith-based nonprofit organizations St. Luke Basis and Our Little Brothers and Sisters (NPH, its Spanish acronym) introduced the ordeal ended safely. Nonetheless, it was “extraordinarily traumatic for all these concerned,” officers stated.
“We are able to verify that Gena Heraty and the seven Haitian nationals have now been launched and reunited with their family members,” the assertion reads. “We thank the households, mates, and all who supported us with prayers in latest days.”
The teams declined to say whether or not a ransom was paid, including solely that the scenario “concluded safely.”
Saint Hélène, NPH’s flagship residential dwelling, cared for 244 kids in 2023, together with 58 with disabilities. Many obtain specialised remedy at its sister facilities, Saint Christine and Saint Germaine.
“The protection and wellness of the eight people held hostage has all the time been the precedence,” the organizations stated, urging respect for the victims’ privateness as they recuperate.
Hospitals shuttered, then reopened, as Kenscoff goes from breadbasket to battlefield
The kidnapping had compelled each hospitals to shut quickly. Their suspension added pressure to a healthcare system the place greater than 20 services are already shut down or vandalized as a consequence of gang violence.
Saint Damien, a number one pediatric and maternal hospital, gives greater than 50,000 services annually to kids and girls. In 2024, it recorded 1,260 births, 131 pediatric surgical procedures, and 46 new circumstances of childhood most cancers. Saint Luke Hospital, which usually treats over 60,000 patients a year, has seen its caseload reduce in half by Haiti’s safety disaster since 2022.
As soon as a peaceable farming hub about 12 miles from Port-au-Prince within the hilly southeast space, Kenscoff has turn into a battleground since gangs seized it in January. In response to the UN Built-in Workplace in Haiti (BINUH), violence within the space—between Jan. 27 and March 27—has resulted within the deaths of at the very least 262 folks, together with 115 civilians, 147 gang members and eight cops.
Armed teams have burned houses, killed civilians and fought to manage the Kenscoff–Jacmel hall. They’ve displaced greater than 3,000 folks and destroyed at the very least 200 homes in these first three months of their invasion alone, BNUH reported.
On Aug. 21, Viv Ansanm fighters occupied the state-owned Téléco telecommunications website, disrupting air communications. 4 days later, police raided the site, killing a number of gang members and seizing assault rifles, ammunition and radios.
Throughout the joint operation in Kenscoff, a number of gang members have been killed, others arrested and a big cache of weapons and ammunition was seized
Regardless of a Kenyan-led Multinational Safety Help mission (MSS) working alongside the Haitian Nationwide Police (PNH), which has just lately undergone management adjustments, insecurity persists. Officers cite Kenscoff’s tough terrain and lack of satisfactory gear as main obstacles.
Violence past Kenscoff
The hostage disaster highlights a broader wave of kidnappings past Kenscoff. The BINUH reported 185 kidnappings between April and June 2025. Moreover, 1,520 folks have been killed, 609 injured and 628 victims of sexual violence. These incidents occurred primarily within the Port-au-Prince metropolitan space, Artibonite and Centre departments.
Throughout the capital, gangs proceed to push residents from neighborhoods like Delmas 30, Nazon and Solino. Police have warned displaced residents to not return, saying gangs intend to make use of civilians as human shields throughout upcoming safety operations.
“These are the identical criminals who wish to disguise amongst civilians to flee legislation enforcement,” police stated in an audio message on its Fb account. “The time for return will come, however solely underneath correct safety situations.”
This improve in insecurity has brought on the USA to revise its technique in Haiti. Together with Panama, it launched a brand new draft decision calling for the UN Safety Council to approve a Gang Suppression Pressure (GSF) and a UN Help Workplace to offer logistical help for floor operations.