16 US missionaries, Canadian citizen among people kidnapped by gang members in Haiti

As many as 16 Christian missionaries from the US and one Canadian citizen were kidnapped on Saturday by a gang in Port-au-Prince.

“The group of sixteen US citizens and one Canadian citizen includes five men, seven women, and five children were kidnapped in Haiti,” read a statement released by the Ohio-based organization Sunday.

So far the details of the incidents are unclear. But officials have informed that missionaries were abducted while traveling to Titanyen, north of the capital Port-au-Prince, after visiting an orphanage in the Croix des Bouquets area.
Meanwhile, Haitian officials are said to be in touch with the US State Department about the kidnapping, CNN reported.

One of the abducted missionaries, an American citizen, posted a call for help in a WhatsApp group as the kidnapping was occurring, The Washington Post reported, quoting a person familiar with the abduction who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Haiti has been witnessing kidnappings of the rich and poor alike and some violent incidents also due to political upheaval for years in the country.
But the kidnappings of the US missionaries have shocked everyone. Violence is rising across the capital Port-au-Prince. Some estimates suggest that gangs now control roughly half of the city.

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