40 people killed in gang attack on Protestant church in Haiti

Women after an armed gang attacked a Protestant church in Haiti. Photo: PATRICE NOEL/REUTERS

On August 24, 2026, it became known that around 40 people were killed in an armed gang attack on a Protestant church in Haiti, where internally displaced persons had been sheltering, reports Le Monde.

The attackers stormed a church near the country's capital, Port-au-Prince. The building was sheltering families who had previously fled their homes over criminal gang violence. Several people were killed on the spot, dozens were wounded, and there are also reports of kidnappings and missing persons.

At the same time, armed men attacked residents of nearby neighborhoods and set houses on fire. Local authorities described what happened as a "night of terror." Members of one of the largest coalitions of Haitian gangs, which is attempting to expand the territories under its control, are suspected of carrying out the attack.

Authorities initially reported approximately 40 deaths. Later, UN representatives stated that the death toll may have reached 47 people, with more than 20 wounded. Following the attack, authorities deployed additional security forces to the area.

Previously, the UOJ reported that two people were killed in an attack on a Catholic mission in Nigeria.

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