State Dept. Says 41 Americans Kidnapped For Ransom In Haiti In 2021

State Dept. Says 41 Americans Kidnapped for Ransom in Haiti in 2021

More than 40 US persons have been kidnapped in Haiti for ransom this year, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Brian A. Nichols, said on Tuesday

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th November, 2021) More than 40 US persons have been kidnapped in Haiti for ransom this year, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Brian A. Nichols, said on Tuesday.

"The issue of kidnapping for ransom in Haiti is a grave one. I believe 41 US persons, US citizens and legal permanent residents, have been kidnapped for ransom in Haiti in 2021," Nichols said in a Senate hearing.

The latest in the series of kidnappings happened in October, when 17 Christian missionaries, 16 Americans and one Canadian, including five children, were abducted and taken hostage during a trip to an orphanage outside the capital of Port-au-Prince. The missionaries were reportedly kidnapped by the notorious armed gang called 400 Mawozo, which is known for extorting businesses and ransoming kidnapped victims.

Earlier in November, two of the 17 abducted, reported to be sick adults, were released, with no ransom paid.

The Centre for Analysis and Research in Human Rights reported in October that the number of kidnappings in Haiti tripled from July to September compared to previous months.