Massillon Jean, the mayor of Kenscoff, died on Friday, October 9, of a respiratory illness. He was a pastor of the First Christian Church of Haiti and had led the commune since 2020.

In a statement, the prime minister's office said Jean “did not shy away from adversity” and chose to stay in his community while armed gangs attacked it, “so that Kenscoff would never be abandoned.”

Interior Minister Paul Antoine Bien-Aimé led a government delegation to Kenscoff this week to offer condolences to his family and the town. The West departmental delegate, Gérald François, and the mayor of Pétion-Ville, Kesner Normil, joined the visit to the town hall, the police station and the mayor's home.

Kenscoff, a farming commune in the mountains above Port-au-Prince, has been under attack by armed groups for nearly two years. More than 100 people were reported killed in a January 2025 offensive, and a rights group counted 164 deaths in two attacks this August.

The government said it remains committed to restoring security in Kenscoff. Aid agencies are still distributing food and hygiene kits at displacement sites in the commune.