Haitian gang members proved no good deed goes unpunished when they kidnapped 17 Christian missionaries returning home after building a Haitian orphanage.
The 17 Christian Aid Ministries (CAM) workers abducted Saturday near Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince were mostly U.S citizens, along with one Canadian. The group of missionaries consisted of five men, seven women and five children.
“CAM strives to be a trustworthy and efficient channel for Amish, Mennonite, and other conservative Anabaptist groups and individuals to minister to physical and spiritual needs around the world,” the ministry group wrote on their web site.
One of the victims taken from their airport-bound bus reportedly managed to send a desperate plea using the mobile app, WhatsApp.
“Please pray for us!! We are being held hostage, they kidnapped our driver. Pray pray pray. We don’t know where they are taking us,” the message said, according to a report in the Washington Post.
“This is a special prayer alert,” said a message on WhatsApp, according to The Epoch Times, which claimed to have seen a screenshot. “Pray that the gang members would come to repentance.”
The Christian group stated that the mission’s field director is now working with the U.S. Embassy in Haiti. No other details were provided.
Haiti has been subject to a U.S. State Department travel advisory since Aug. 23, due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest and Covid-19.
Kidnapping is widespread and victims regularly include U.S. citizens, according to a State Department release. “Kidnappers may use sophisticated planning or take advantage of unplanned opportunities, and even convoys have been attacked,” the Department wrote on their website.
“Kidnapping cases often involve ransom negotiations and U.S. citizen victims have been physically harmed during kidnappings. Victim’s families have paid thousands of dollars to rescue their family members.”
The Washington Post and CNN first reported the kidnappings.
Haitian police inspector Frantz Champagne said a gang called 400 Mawozo abducted the group that included some elderly people and a 2-year-old, according to the USA Today report, which added that a U.S. State Department spokesperson said officials were aware of the incident.
“The welfare and safety of U.S. citizens abroad is one of the highest priorities of the Department of State,” the spokesperson said.
The gang, whose name roughly translates to 400 “inexperienced men,” controls the Croix-des-Bouquets area that includes Ganthier, where they carry out kidnappings and carjackings and extort business owners, according to Haitian authorities.
The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti said earlier this month that kidnappings have risen sharply in Haiti in the months after the country’s President, Jovenel Moise, was assassinated, which was followed by a devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake.
Elections have been postponed again in the lawless country as kidnappings increase and gangs exert greater control over large parts of Haiti’s capital.
“Political turmoil, the surge in gang violence, deteriorating socioeconomic conditions – including food insecurity and malnutrition – all contribute to the worsening of the humanitarian situation,” stated a recent report from the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti. The report further noted that at least 328 kidnapping victims were reported to Haiti’s National Police so far this year, which is more than the 234 kidnappings reported last year.
“Join us in praying for those who are being held hostage, the kidnappers, and the families, friends, and churches of those affected,” a ministry spokesperson said in a statement today. “Pray for those who are seeking God’s direction and making decisions regarding this matter.”
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