The release offers a rare moment of relief amid escalating gang violence across Haiti, where armed groups continue to expand their control and challenge the authority of the state, Al Jazeera reported.
UNICEF said Friday that the freed captives were among more than 50 people abducted during one of the largest mass kidnappings reported in Haiti in recent years.
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“This release offers a rare moment of hope amid the violence threatening children in Haiti,” Yannig Dussart, UNICEF’s deputy representative in Haiti, said.
He warned that the Kenscoff abduction was part of a broader pattern of attacks targeting children and civilians across the country.
The mass kidnapping followed a deadly overnight assault on Kenscoff, a hillside community overlooking the capital, Port-au-Prince, and the nearby suburb of Petionville.
On August 23, an estimated 150 armed gang members reportedly attacked the area, opening fire on residents and pursuing people who sought refuge inside a Protestant church.
According to the UN, attackers forced people sheltering inside the church back outside. At least 22 people were killed in the church courtyard, while another 12 were found dead behind the building.
At least 47 people were killed across the attack, while more than 50 were kidnapped.
The violence also forced about 2,647 residents from their homes as people fled to neighbouring communities. Some houses were reportedly set on fire.
The attack has added to Haiti’s worsening humanitarian and security crisis, with armed groups increasingly extending their influence beyond the capital.
Haiti has long struggled with political instability and powerful armed groups, but gang control has expanded significantly in recent years amid a prolonged crisis in national governance.
Former President Jovenel Moise was assassinated at his home in Port-au-Prince in 2021, triggering another period of political uncertainty. Prime Minister Ariel Henry subsequently led the country without an elected national mandate before resigning in 2024.
The Transitional Presidential Council that followed was dissolved this year without organising a national vote. A general election is now scheduled for December after repeated delays.
As political institutions have weakened, armed groups have strengthened their grip. At one point, gangs were estimated to control as much as 90 percent of Port-au-Prince.
The humanitarian consequences have been severe. The UN estimated that about 1.47 million people had been displaced by violence in Haiti as of May.
Between April and June alone, 1,408 people were killed and 656 injured in gang-related violence, according to the UN. During the same period, the organisation documented 326 cases of sexual violence, which rights advocates say has been used by armed groups to intimidate and control communities.
Haitian police and international forces have struggled to contain the violence.
The first members of a UN-backed Gang Suppression Force arrived in Haiti in April with a mandate to help dismantle armed groups and restore security.
Following the Kenscoff attack, however, some gang members reportedly threatened online to execute captives if security operations against their organisations continued.
The Haitian government responded by promising to send additional security forces to Kenscoff.
“All security forces are placed in a state of maximum alert,” the prime minister’s office said after the attack, promising that reinforcements would be deployed to restore government authority throughout the area.
The UN has called for the immediate release of all remaining hostages.
During an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Friday, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, the UN secretary-general’s special representative for Haiti, described the Kenscoff attack as part of a continuing campaign of violence.
He said the assault demonstrated the gangs’ ability and determination to terrorise civilians, expand their influence beyond Port-au-Prince and directly challenge the Haitian state.
The release of the 13 captives provides some relief, but the fate of the remaining kidnapped people remains unclear as Haiti continues to struggle with a deepening security and humanitarian crisis.
