At least 47 people were killed, more than 50 kidnapped, and an evangelical church sanctuary burned in a gang assault targeting Christians in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, a crisis that church leaders say is fueled by gangs’ hostility to Christian resistance.

Violent gang members stormed the Kenscoff neighborhood of Port-au-Prince on August 24, 2026, killing dozens, kidnapping scores, and setting fire to homes and a church sanctuary. The scale of violence, including the execution of 22 people in a church compound where victims had sought shelter, drew swift condemnation from both Haitian and international leaders.

The United Nations reported that at least five children were among the dead. Gangs also reportedly kidnapped more than 50 people during the attack and torched 25 homes. Kenscoff Mayor Jean Massillon said two government employees, including his own cousin who served as his security detail, were killed in the onslaught. “The atrocity of this crime reminds us that we have to continue working stronger every day to bring peace to the community,” Massillon said.

Church leaders described a targeted campaign against Christians, arguing that their faith and values stand in the way of gang control. Bishop Joseph Gontrand Décoste told Aid to the Church in Need, “We are the last remaining bulkhead, moral, ethical, spiritual, and prophetic. That is why they want to eliminate us.”

The attack in Haiti follows a growing global pattern of violence against Christians, with recent incidents in places like Nigeria and Pakistan echoing the same themes of targeted persecution, as seen in the Plateau State attacks in Nigeria and anti-Christian violence in Pakistan.

Churches face relentless attacks as gangs seize control

Churches and Christian communities have increasingly found themselves in the crosshairs of Haiti’s armed gangs, who now control an estimated 70% to 90% of Port-au-Prince, according to Aid to the Church in Need. The violence has forced about 40 Catholic parishes to shut down in the capital. Two priests were reportedly abducted and one seminarian killed during the first seven months of 2026, while two nuns from the Little Sisters of Saint Thérèse were killed last spring. The violence is not new; in 2024, nine religious sisters, five brothers, and four priests were kidnapped in Haiti.

Church leaders and aid groups argue that the Christian faith community is one of the last organized forces holding out against gang dominance, a view echoed by Bishop Décoste’s warning that “they want to eliminate us.” The burning of an evangelical church sanctuary in Kenscoff is only the latest in a series of violent attacks on Christian sites, recalling the horrific burning of a Christian couple in Pakistan, which drew worldwide attention and outrage, and the ongoing struggle for justice as described in recent Pakistani court decisions.

Violence and chaos ahead of Haiti's elections

Haiti’s security crisis comes as the nation prepares for general elections in December. The lawless environment has displaced 1.5 million people across the country, and more than 3,050 have been killed from January through June 2026, according to new U.N. statistics. The reach of the gangs, and the threat they pose to public order, has only grown, with gang leaders reportedly threatening to kill hostages if authorities harm any gang member.

International leaders have condemned the violence, with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres speaking out against the massacre. Mayor Massillon expressed optimism that the state will “continue working to eradicate the gangs in Kenscoff,” but acknowledged the scale of the challenge. The attacks on Christians in Haiti are far from isolated, mirroring the grim pattern of church burnings and targeted killings seen in other parts of the world, such as in cases highlighted by recent acquittals in Pakistan’s courts.

Global Christian communities confront rising violence

What happened in Haiti is part of a broader and troubling trend of anti-Christian violence worldwide. Just as in Haiti, Christian communities in Nigeria have suffered mass killings and kidnappings despite international attention and military intervention, with advocates warning of a campaign to destroy Christianity in the region. The pattern of violence, and the failure of authorities to end it, has galvanized international prayer movements and responses, as seen in the million-woman prayer movement for Nigeria.

For Haiti, the latest massacre is a bleak reminder that Christians, far from being safe in their own churches, are being specifically targeted by gangs who see the church as the last obstacle to their rule. The faith community’s courage in the face of violence stands in stark contrast to the weakness of state institutions, a fact that should concern anyone who values religious freedom and the rule of law.

The world’s silence in the face of lawless anti-Christian violence sends a message, and it is not one of justice or strength.