Topline
As many as 17 primarily American missionaries, including reportedly “men, women and children,” were kidnapped Saturday by a gang near Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and are being held by them, local police have confirmed, part of a broader surge of kidnappings and unrest in the country.
Haitians demonstrate on December 10, 2020, in Port-au-Prince, demanding their right to life in the ... [+]
Key Facts
The American missionaries from Christian Aid Ministries, including organization staff and their family members, were kidnapped while on their way to the airport after building an orphanage, according to multiple reports.
An audio “prayer alert” sent by the Ohio-based organization, which was obtained by multiple news outlets, said group members were being detained by an “armed gang” and “the mission field director and the American embassy are working to see what can be done.”
Police confirmed the missionaries were abducted by the gang 400 Mawozo, a group known for mass kidnappings and targeting religious groups that controls the region where the abduction took place.
Local authorities cited by the New York Times said 16 Americans and one Canadian were abducted, and Dan Hooley, a former field director for the organization, told the Times the group included a two-year-old and one other young child.
The family of the organization’s field director and one other man from Christian Aid Ministries did not visit the orphanage and were not part of the kidnapping, according to the Associated Press, citing the audio message.
The U.S. State Department said in a statement it was “aware” of the reports and “the welfare and safety of U.S. citizens abroad is one of the highest priorities” of the agency.
What To Watch For
Gangs operating in Haiti have previously demanded $2,000 to $1 million in ransom money for kidnappings, the AP reports, and the Post notes kidnappers in the country often only issue their demands for ransom after 24 to 72 hours. The AP reports U.S. officials are working with Haitian authorities “to try to resolve the case,” citing an unnamed senior U.S. government official.
Key Background
The Post reports Haiti has the highest per-capita kidnapping rate of any country, and a United Nations report cited by the AP found at least 328 kidnappings had been reported to the country’s police in the first eight months of 2021 alone—up from 234 throughout all of 2020. The gang that reportedly kidnapped the missionaries, 400 Mawozo, previously captured five priests and two nuns in April and have routinely kidnapped busloads of travelers. The kidnappings have targeted people of all ages and social classes, the Post notes, and a recent rise in fuel truck drivers being abducted has led to fuel shortages and blackouts in the country. The abductions are part of a broader unrest in the country, which is also reeling from the July assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse—which the country’s prime minister has been accused of being involved with—and an earthquake in August that killed more than 2,000 people. The U.N. Security Council decided to extend the organization’s political mission on Friday amid the turmoil, and the AP reports high-ranking U.S. officials have also recently promised additional resources to the country’s police to help fight gang violence.
Further Reading
Gang with past abductions blamed for kidnapping missionaries (Associated Press)
American missionaries and family members kidnapped in Haiti by ‘400 Mawozo’ gang, groups say (Washington Post)
U.S. Missionaries Kidnapped in Haiti, Officials Say (New York Times)
Abductions by the busload: Haitians are being held hostage by a surge in kidnappings (Washington Post)
