Port-au-Prince, Haiti — Civil groups in Haiti called Sunday for the immediate release of American missionaries abducted a day earlier by one of the criminal gangs proliferating around the capital Port-au-Prince amid spreading insecurity.
“We call for the liberation of the persons kidnapped, whether American citizens or of other nationalities,” said Gedeon Jean, director of the Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights, based in the capital. He said the current situation was “detrimental to human dignity.”
The group of 15 to 17 people, including children and by some accounts one Canadian, were kidnapped while on their way back from a visit to an orphanage some 30 kilometers (20 miles) east of the capital, a Haitian security source told AFP.
Some members of the Ohio-based missionary group were on their first trip to Haiti, the source said.
They are being held by the so-called “400 Mawozo” gang, which for months has carried out kidnappings and robberies in the area between Port-au-Prince and the Dominican Republic border, said the source, who spoke on grounds of anonymity.
The gang has hijacked several vehicles — even entire busloads of victims — on roads it controls, kidnapping both  Haitians and foreigners and holding them for ransoms often many times a Haitian’s yearly earnings.
“The police have proven incapable of confronting the gangs, which have become better organized and which control more and more territory” around the capital and in provincial cities, Jean said.
His group has tallied an alarming increase in kidnappings in Haiti: more than 600 occurred in the first three months of 2021, up sharply from 231 in the corresponding period of 2020.
The kidnapping of the missionary group occurred Saturday morning on roads controlled by the Mawozo group. In addition to the Americans, an unknown number of Haitians were abducted.
The US State Department offered no details. A spokesperson said only: “The welfare and safety of US citizens abroad is one of the highest priorities of the Department of State.
“We are aware of these reports and have nothing additional to offer at this time.”
Turmoil
Officials are typically close-mouthed about abductions, given the extraordinary sensitivity of such situations.
In April, the Mawozo group held 10 people including two French Catholic clergy members for 20 days before releasing them.
Haiti has struggled for years with natural and man-made challenges that have paralyzed economic growth.
The July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moise by an armed private commando plunged the country deeper into turmoil. Then an August 14 earthquake killed more than 2,200 people in the southwest.
Gedeon Jean says the absence of a strong state has left a void that criminal gangs have moved to fill, extending their hold from some of the capital’s poorest districts into surrounding areas.
Even before Saturday’s kidnappings, business and professional groups in Port-au-Prince had called for an indefinite strike beginning Monday to protest the spreading climate of insecurity.
The gangs often demand the equivalent of decades of wages from the families of kidnap victims, most of whom are living below the poverty line.
And rights groups say the vast majority of women kidnapped by criminal gangs are sexually assaulted.
Support The Liberty Loft by donating via PayPal or donate with crypto. Your support helps us achieve our mission to deliver conservative news and opinion. You can find us on a wide variety of social media channels or subscribe to our notifications to receive all the latest information as it is released.
591799 625039The leading source for trustworthy and timely health and medical news and info. 37965
446282 905442I want to start a blog but would like to own the domain. Any concepts how to go about this?. 149061
856920 856274This internet site is my breathing in, real amazing design and perfect content material . 805434
584319 800885Woh I like your posts , saved to fav! . 538423
420047 678074You must join in a tournament initial of the greatest blogs on the internet. I will recommend this web site! 751572
51867 778308Can you give me some suggestions for piece of software writing? 686690
111793 44633You need to participate in a contest for among the most effective blogs on the internet. I will suggest this web internet site! 660086
392262 697651I saw however another thing concerning this on yet another blog. Youve certainly spent some time on this. Well done! 896286
132530 340941You need to participate in a contest for among the top blogs on the internet. I will suggest this web web site! 15523
31489 683722The other day, while I was at work, my cousin stole my apple ipad and tested to see if it can survive a forty foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My apple ipad is now destroyed and she has 83 views. I know this is totally off topic but I had to share it with someone! 833286
992074 981988An interesting discussion is price comment. I believe that you need to write extra on this subject, it might not be a taboo subject but typically individuals are not enough to talk on such topics. Towards the next. Cheers 62704
616122 570656Hey. Neat post. There can be a issue together with your internet site in firefox, and you might want to check this The browser is the market chief and a large component of other folks will omit your outstanding writing because of this issue. 155551