FBI investigates kidnapping of missionaries in Haiti 3:08
(CNN) -
The gang that kidnapped a group of 17 American and Canadian missionaries in Haiti asked for $ 1 million for the release of each, a senior Haitian official said Monday, according to
The Wall Street Journal
.
The 16 US citizens and a Canadian were abducted by the powerful "400 Mawozo" gang on Saturday after visiting an orphanage in Croix-des-Bouquets, a suburb northeast of the capital Port-au-Prince, authorities said over the weekend. .
Haitian Justice Minister Liszt Quitel said Monday that the missionaries were being held in a safe house on the outskirts of the suburb by the gang, which demanded a total of $ 17 million for the group's release, the WSJ reported.
The FBI and Haitian police are in contact with the kidnappers, adding that negotiations could take weeks, Quitel told the WSJ.
The kidnapped missionaries are affiliated with Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries, which confirmed the kidnapping Sunday in a statement, saying the kidnapped group consisted of five men, seven women and five children.
They target powerful gang for kidnapping in Haiti 0:46
Quitel told The Wall Street Journal that the five kidnapped children included an 8-month-old baby and children 3, 6, 14 and 15 years old.
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Dan Hooley, a former field director for Christian Aid Ministries in Haiti, told CNN on Sunday that the kidnapped missionaries are believed to have been in a vehicle, and that some were able to contact the organization's local director before they were taken away.
"A couple of colleagues messaged the director right away and told him what was going on. And one of them was able to drop a pin, and that's the last (the organization) heard until the kidnappers contacted them later. that day, "Hooley said.
The incident is part of a wave of indiscriminate kidnappings that has grown more blatant as the country suffers from political instability, civil unrest, a lack of quality health care and extreme poverty.
Just before the kidnapping of the missionaries, a Haitian transport union had called an indefinite strike starting this Monday to protest the increase in kidnappings, among other issues.
Powerful "400 Mawozo" Gang Behind Kidnapping of 17 American and Canadian Missionaries in Haiti, Says Security Source
"The welfare and safety of US citizens abroad is one of the highest priorities of the State Department. We have been in regular contact with the main Haitian authorities and will continue to work with them and inter-agency partners," said a State Department spokesman through a statement.
'The gangs have taken over'
Much of the rise in kidnappings in Haiti is due to the 400 Mawozo, according to the Center for Analysis and Research for Human Rights (CARDH), a nonprofit organization based in Port-au-Prince.
Gang members engage in almost daily clashes with the Haitian police and collect taxes from local businesses.
The 400 Mawozo have been growing in strength over the past three years, adding up to 150 members, and have essentially taken control of Croix des Bouquets, the Haitian security forces source told CNN on Sunday.
Kidnapping for ransom is a characteristic gang activity.
They have kidnapped dozens of people this year alone, including foreign nationals, the source said.
Formerly known for car theft, the 400 Mawozo has pioneered "collective" kidnappings of large groups of victims in buses and cars, according to CARDH.
The majority of the gang's victims are Haitian nationals, and kidnappings have increased in Haiti by nearly 300% since July, CARDH said.
Former Minister of Haiti confesses that he fears for his life 0:44
There have been at least 628 kidnappings since January, including 29 foreigners, according to data released by the center.
The 400 Mawozo has typically demanded ransoms of around $ 20,000, he said.
Hooley said members of the missionary group would have been aware of the risks they were taking.
"These are very dedicated people, people who have risked their lives, they knew the dangers they were in, or at least they knew what could happen, I'm sure," he said.
In a 2020 blog post, a Christian Aid Ministries missionary in Haiti described the risks they faced working there.
The missionary wrote how the organization's base of operations in Titanyen, a village north of Port-au-Prince, had been threatened by a local gang.
"With all the political uncertainty in Haiti, the gangs have taken over. The gangs fighting each other break up quiet nights with rapid firearm shots," they wrote.
"I am afraid to stay in Port-au-Prince because there are many death threats against me," says former Minister of Justice of Haiti
The blog post does not indicate which gang was responsible, nor is it clear who the author of the post was.
But the founders of the blog are a couple of missionaries who had been in Haiti for several years.
In the post, the author writes that the missionary eventually began "working with the gang trying to resolve the unpleasant situation."
"After much dialogue, they agreed to drop their gang mentality and try to find a way to help the community, rather than terrorize it. They soon agreed to work on rebuilding a road through the city," the author wrote.
CNN's Matt Rivers, Etant Dupain, Natalie Gallón, Kylie Atwood, Elizabeth Joseph, and Tara John contributed to this article.
Gang Kidnapping