Ireland Demands Release of Hostages After Gunmen Storm Haiti Orphanage
On August 3, 2025, gunmen stormed the Saint-Hélène orphanage in Kenscoff, a mountainous community near Port-au-Prince, Haiti, kidnapping eight individuals, including Irish missionary Gena Heraty and a 3-year-old child. The orphanage, operated by the international charity Nos Petits Frères et Sœurs, cares for over 240 children. The attack, attributed to the gang federation Viv Ansanm, designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S., marks the latest escalation in Haiti’s ongoing gang violence, which has displaced 1.3 million people and resulted in over 3,100 deaths in the first half of 2025.
Ireland’s Foreign Minister and Tánaiste, Simon Harris, has urgently called for the immediate release of the hostages, describing the situation as “deeply worrying.” Harris engaged with Haiti’s Foreign Minister Harvel Jean-Baptiste and the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas to ensure coordinated efforts, with the EU designating a specific point of contact in Haiti to assist. Heraty, who has worked in Haiti since 1993 and oversees the orphanage’s special needs program, previously survived a violent assault there in 2013. Her family expressed devastation, urging prayers for her safe return.
Haitian authorities, supported by UNICEF and the Institute of Social Welfare and Research, are relocating the orphanage’s children and staff to safer locations. No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, which occurred in an area plagued by gang violence since January. The under-resourced UN-backed security mission has struggled to curb the gangs’ advance, with 336 kidnappings reported in Haiti from January to June 2025.