Group says two of 17 kidnapped missionaries in Haiti have been released

The organization announced Sunday that 17 people from an American missionary group kidnapped in Haiti more than a month ago have been released.

One of Haiti’s most feared gangs took the hostages, who included women and children, on October 16 when the missionary group visited an orphanage outside the capital, Port-au-Prince.

In announcing the release of two of them, Ohio-based group Christian Aid Ministries said it would not release their names or explain why they were released. But the group said the released were “safe, in good spirits, and being looked after.”

The ministry urged secrecy to protect those still in the hands of the gang members.

“We are asking those with more specific information about the release and the individuals involved to preserve that information,” the statement read. A spokesman for the Christian Aid Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The hostage group, which includes 16 Americans and one Canadian, had been working with Christian Aid ministries before it was kidnapped by a gang called the 400 Mawozo, notorious for masterminding mass kidnappings.

The gang initially demanded a ransom of $1 million per person, but this was widely seen as the beginning of the negotiations common in kidnappings in Haiti. It was not immediately clear how much, if any, was paid.

The US government responded carefully to the news. A State Department spokesman said: “We welcome the reports that two people held hostage in Haiti have been released.” “We have no further comments at this time.”

Haitian National Police spokesman Gary Desrosier confirmed the release of the two hostages on Sunday, although the Christian Aid Ministry in its statement did not specify when they would be released.

It is not yet clear why only two of the 17 hostages were released – whether their families or friends collected the ransom together, or whether the gang took pity on them due to a medical condition or some other reason. In some previous kidnappings, the Mawozo gang released 400 seriously ill or elderly hostages from a larger group.

The youngest hostage taken from the missionary group was an infant.

Since the kidnapping, Christian Aid Missionaries have been involved in protracted negotiations for the group’s release, with the gang demanding more money and the missionary group offering services to their area instead, an official familiar with the matter said.

The mass kidnapping of more than a dozen US citizens, including five children, caused an uproar, as US lawmakers condemned the violence in Haiti, and the FBI and State Department worked with local authorities to win the missionaries’ freedom.

Mass kidnappings have become commonplace in Haiti, but brazen daylight kidnappings have shocked even local officials and residents accustomed to gang-fueled violence, another indication of the country’s growing chaos.

US officials estimate that tens of thousands of Haitian Americans are in Haiti at any given moment, either because they live there or because they move back and forth between countries regularly. They are prime targets for kidnapping, and every time a ransom is paid, gangs are encouraged to look for new victims.

Security in the country has collapsed in the wake of several natural disasters and political crises, including the assassination of President Jovenel Moss in July. This has allowed the gangs to tighten their control over Port-au-Prince and its suburbs, where nearly half of the nation lives. The violence engulfed most of the capital, and according to some estimates, gangs now control about half of the city.

Many gangs have enough power to bring the country to its knees.

Last month, a high-profile criminal group blocked the delivery of fuel to much of the country, plunging Haiti into darkness and halting everything from hospital operations to cell phone calling.

Gangs, often with political backing, have long been part of the country’s social fabric, but after the murder of Mr. Moyes, they became more assertive, taking control of large swaths of land.

Three recent crises sweeping Haiti Card 1 out of 3

In the aftermath of the deadly earthquake. On August 14, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, killing more than 2,100 people and injuring thousands. A severe storm – Grace, then a tropical depression – swamped the nation with torrential rain days later, delaying recovery. Several survivors said they did not expect any help from officials.

Assassination of President Jovenel Moss. A group of assailants stormed Mr. Moyes’ home on 7 July, killing him and wounding his wife in what officials described as a well-planned operation. The plot left a political vacuum that deepened unrest in the country as the investigation continued. An election that was scheduled for this year will likely be postponed until 2022.

Haitian officials estimate that 400 Mauzou makes about $70,000 a week from activities such as kidnapping and extortion, and they say she has recently moved into human trafficking and organ theft from kidnapping victims who can’t get ransom.

Gangs are equipped with a steady supply of weapons smuggled from the United States, including offensive weapons such as AR-15s. This gives them much more firepower than that available to the average police officer. A senior Haitian security official said, in a recent interview, that roughly a dozen gangs are so powerful that they are able to function as a paramilitary force. The official requested anonymity in order to share sensitive information.

Morale within Haiti’s security forces is low, and it is not unusual for police officers to establish their own gang or defect from those already established, while continuing to work for the government.

Criminal groups also benefit from regular payments from powerful businessmen who pay “protection fees” so that their operations are not attacked. Politicians also paid gangs to spread their influence and suppress voting during national elections.

In the absence of a fully functioning government since Mr. Moyes’ murder, the power of the gangs has grown.

A series of natural disasters has only made matters worse.

In August, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake deepened the devastation in a country that has yet to recover from the 2010 earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people. Rescue efforts this summer were initially hampered by security concerns, and aid only flowed freely after the gangs controlling a highway linking the southern peninsula to the rest of Haiti declared a truce.

A severe storm followed days later.

In recent weeks, Haitian security forces have stepped up operations to counter criminal organizations, but security experts say the government lacks a coherent strategy. US officials say the Haitian police need an overhaul, with thousands more police officers needed, a renewed focus on scrutiny during enlistment and funds to buy new equipment, raise salaries, and restore morals.

Observers say the government will not be able to restore stability, unless a reformed police force can step in to re-establish control after neighborhoods are cleared of gangs.

An upsurge in gang violence has led to recent peaceful protests, with groups in towns and cities demanding a government response. Some blocked roads and set tires on fire, a common symbol of protest in Haiti.

Harold Isaacs contributed reporting from Port-au-Prince and Oscar Lopez from Mexico City.

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