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The Haitian gang that kidnapped 16 American missionaries and a Canadian is demanding a millionaire loot for the release of each of them, said the country’s Justice Minister Liszt Quitel. A source from the Haitian security forces said the hostages are safe.
A total of 17 million dollars, one million for each of those kidnapped, is what the Haitian gang ‘400 Mawozo’ demands for their rescue, responsible for the kidnapping of a group of missionaries, which occurred on October 16. This was revealed by the newspaper ‘The Wall Street Journal’, which quotes the Minister of Justice of Haiti, Liszt Quitel.
The official added that both the Haitian Police and the FBI are advising the Ohio-based religious organization Christian Aid Ministries, to which the victims belong.
Quitel explained that the criminals called the personnel of that movement in Haiti for the first time at 4:53 pm last Saturday, indicating their ransom demands. Since then there have been several communications that could last for weeks, he said.
The Haitian gang that abducted a group of American and Canadian missionaries is asking for $ 1 million each for their release, a total of $ 17 million https://t.co/LGqlGNYTwG
– The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) October 19, 2021
However, the Justice Minister added that agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who are on the ground help with the investigation, but are not leading the negotiations nor have they spoken directly with the kidnappers.
“The FBI is part of a coordinated effort by the United States Government to safeguard the Americans involved. Due to operational considerations, no further information is available at this time,” said an FBI spokesman.
A source in the Haitian security forces reported that the hostages are safe for the moment.
“The kidnappers were warned about harming the hostages and what the consequences could be for them (if that happens) but they are not swayed by those warnings,” Quitel said, explaining that the kidnappers adhere to their demands.
According to the authorities, the group of those abducted is made up of 16 Americans and a Canadian. Specifically, there are five men, seven women and five children, including one under eight months. The figure was also confirmed by ‘The New York Times’.
All were kidnapped after visiting an orphanage in Croix-des-Bouquets, a suburb northeast of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
The area is dominated by the so-called ‘400 Mawozo’, one of the oldest and most dangerous gangs in the country and with a long history of murder, kidnapping and extortion.
At least 328 kidnappings were reported to the Haitian National Police in the first eight months of 2021, compared to a total of 234 in all of 2020, according to a report by the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti last month.
Strike against the growing wave of kidnappings in Haiti
As the kidnapping of the missionary group draws international attention, hundreds of Haitians protested against the growing crime. A strike for this reason paralyzed shops, schools and public transport in the country this Tuesday, October 19.
“We demand that the authorities take action,” said Jean-Louis Abaki, a motorcycle taxi driver who joined the protest to reject the murders and kidnappings in the poorest nation in the hemisphere.
The protesters added that both the country’s prime minister, Ariel Henry, and police chief Leon Charles, “must give the population some security.”
Kidnappings across the nation have become more common amid a growing political and economic crisis.
In the first eight months of this year, at least 328 abductions were reported, according to figures from the Haitian National Police, compared to 234 registered in all of 2020.
The victims are usually middle-class Haitians, but they can raise their ransom money through cash loans or the sale of property. Among them, transport workers are frequently targeted by gangs.
However, the increasingly exacerbated crisis in Haiti has also become a problem for the United States. A wave of thousands of Haitian migrants has reached its border in recent months, although many have been deported to their country of origin.
With Reuters, AP and local media
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