Five priests and two nuns, including two French citizens, kidnapped in Haiti
- Haitian authorities suspect an armed gang called ‘400 Mawozo’ – which is active in kidnappings – is behind the abduction
- Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has been in a months-long political crisis involving a dispute over President Jovenel Moise’s term of office
Seven Catholic clergy, including two French citizens, were kidnapped on Sunday in Haiti, said the spokesman of the Bishop’s Conference for the island nation, which has been rocked by unrest.
Five priests and two nuns were abducted in the morning in Croix-des-Bouquets, a commune northeast of the capital Port-au-Prince, while they were “on their way to the installation of a new parish priest,” Father Loudger Mazile said.
The kidnappers had demanded a US$1 million ransom for the group, which includes one French priest and one French nun, he added.
Haitian authorities suspect an armed gang called “400 Mawozo” – which is active in kidnappings – is behind the abduction, according to a police source.
The French embassy in Haiti did not respond to Agence France-Presse’s request for comment.
Kidnappings for ransom have surged in recent months in Port-au-Prince and other provinces, reflecting the growing influence of armed gangs in the Caribbean nation.