Seven Catholic religious, including two French, were kidnapped Sunday April 11 in Haiti, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) the spokesperson for the Conference of Bishops of this Caribbean country in the grip of great insecurity.
The group, which included a nun and a French priest, was kidnapped in the morning at Croix-des-Bouquets, near the capital Port-au-Prince, while he “Went to the installation of a new priest”, explained Father Loudger Mazile, specifying that the kidnappers demand a million dollars in ransom.
The police suspect an armed gang active in the area, dubbed “400 Mawozo”, to be at the origin of this kidnapping, according to a source in its ranks. Contacted by AFP, the French Embassy did not immediately comment.
Ransom kidnappings on the rise
Kidnappings for ransom have increased in recent months in Port-au-Prince and in the provinces, testifying to the growing hold of armed gangs on Haitian territory.
” This is too much. The time has come for these inhumane acts to stop, reacted on Sunday Mgr Pierre-André Dumas, Bishop of Miragoâne reached by telephone. The Church prays and stands in solidarity with all the victims of this villainous act. “
In March, the Haitian executive power declared a state of emergency for one month in certain neighborhoods of the capital and a provincial region in order to “Restore the authority of the state” in areas controlled by gangs. The measure is motivated by the actions of armed bands which “Kidnap people for ransom by declaring it openly, stealing and looting public and private property, and openly confronting the public security forces”, according to the presidential decree.