Canadian citizen among 17 people kidnapped in Haiti, missionary group says
CBC
A gang blamed for kidnapping five priests and two nuns earlier this year in Haiti is now accused of kidnapping 17 missionaries, including a Canadian, from a U.S.-based organization, the organization and police said Sunday.
The 400 Mawozo gang kidnapped the group — which included a two-year-old and some elderly people — in Ganthier, a commune that lies east of the capital Port-au-Prince, Haitian police inspector Frantz Champagne told The Associated Press.
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 authorities.
In a statement on its website, Christian Aid Ministries said one of the hostages is a Canadian citizen, though this has not yet been confirmed by Global Affairs Canada.
"The group of sixteen U.S citizens and one Canadian citizen includes five men, seven women, and five children," the Ohio-based organization wrote.
"Join us in praying for those who are being held hostage, the kidnappers, and the families, friends, and churches of those affected. Pray for those who are seeking God's direction and making decisions regarding this matter."
Haiti is once again struggling with a spike in gang-related kidnappings that had diminished in recent months, after President Jovenel Moïse was fatally shot at his private residence on July 7 and a 7.2-magnitude earthquake killed more than 2,200 people in August.