Missionaries pray for Haiti captives, kidnappers

SEE: https://christianaidministries.org/updates/haiti-staff-abduction/

(18 Oct 2021) A missionary worker who has met with the families of those kidnapped in Haiti says they pray for both the captives and the kidnappers. At the Christian Aid Ministry in Berlin, Ohio, missionary Tirtzah Rarick visited with family members of the kidnapped. She spoke to reporters afterward. American officials are working with Haitian authorities to try to secure the release of the 12 adults and five children connected with the Ohio-based mission, who were abducted over the weekend by a gang notorious for killings, kidnappings and extortion. Police say the group was snatched Saturday by the 400 Mawozo gang in an area east of the capital of Port-au-Prince. Christian Aid Ministries said the kidnapped group included seven women, five men and five children, including a 2-year-old. The organization said they were taken while on a trip to visit an orphanage.

Haiti gang leader threatens to kill kidnapped missionaries

Haitian gang demands $17 million in ransom for abducted missionaries

The "400 Mawozo" gang in Haiti is demanding $1 million for each of the 17 missionaries it has abducted. The group was kidnapped last weekend just outside of the capital of Port-au-Prince. Gang activity has been on the rise following the assassination of the country's president in July. Robert Fatton, Jr. is the Julia A. Cooper professor of government and foreign affairs at the University of Virginia. He joins CBSN's Elaine Quijano to discuss.

BY CNN

SEE: https://americanfaith.com/3-more-hostages-released-in-haiti-christian-aid-group-says/;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

Three more members of a group of 17 hostages kidnapped in Haiti in October were released Sunday night, according to a statement from the US-based Christian Aid Ministries.

“We are thankful to God that three more hostages were released last night. Those who were released are safe and seem to be in good spirits. As with the previous release, we are not able to provide the names of the people released, the circumstances of the release, or any other details,” the statement said.

A young American child and their American mother were among the three missionary hostages released Sunday, according to a US official familiar with the matter.

The State Department welcomed the reports of their release.

“We welcome reports that three individuals held hostage in Haiti have been released. Due to operational and security considerations, we have no further comment,” a State Department spokesperson said. 

Members of the group of 16 Americans and one Canadian had been working as missionaries when they were kidnapped by the Haitian gang 400 Mawozo while traveling by car northeast of the capital, Port-au-Prince, on October 16. 

The hostages included an infant, a 3-year-old, and a 6-year-old, as well as two young teenagers. All hail from Amish, Mennonite, and other conservative Anabaptist communities across six US states and Ontario. 

Two other hostages were released last month. Twelve of the 17 kidnapped remain in captivity.

No details on whether or not ransoms have been paid have yet emerged. The captors had demanded $1 million per hostage, Haitian Justice and Interior Minister Liszt Quitel previously told CNN.

Kidnappings for ransom in Haiti are widespread and often indiscriminate, targeting rich and poor, young and old. 

Rising crime has accompanied political instability in the country, with kidnappings spiking in the months after the July assassination of President Jovenel Moise, according to local human rights organization CARDH. 

The 400 Mawozo group is particularly notorious for group kidnappings.