A total of 17 Christian missionaries from the United States and their family members, including children, were kidnapped on Saturday by gangs in Port-au-Prince when they left the orphanage, according to Haitian security officials.
The details of the kidnapping remained unclear, but local officials said the missionaries were kidnapped from the bus to the airport to take several group members before continuing other goals in Haiti.
Haiti has been in a state of political upheaval for years, and rich and poor kidnappings are both very common.
But even in a country that is accustomed to expanding legal violations, kidnapping a large group of Americans surprised officials for their emptiness.
Violence surged across the capital, Port-au-Prince.
By some estimates, gangs now control around half the city.
On Monday, the gang shot on the school bus in Port-au-Prince, injured at least five people, including students, while other public buses were hijacked by gangs too.
Security has been broken down when state politics has been destroyed.
Demonstrators were angry at corruption widespread demanding the expulsion of President Jovenel Moïse two years ago, effectively paralyzing the country.
The deadlock prevents the sick from getting treatment in hospitals, children from school who go to school, workers from going to rare jobs are available and even stop electricity from flowing in the part of the country.
Since then, the gang has become more assertive.
They operate at will, kidnapping children on their way to school and pastor in the midst of providing their services.
The nation’s political turmoil was increasingly intensive after Moïse was killed at his home in July, the killing that was still unsolved.
Some of the remaining officials in this country immediately began to fight to control the government, and factionalism had continued for months, with officials accusing each other taking part in the conspiracy to kill the president.
The kidnapping of American missionaries only occurred a day after the UN Security Council extended its mission in Haiti of nine months in round vote on Friday.
Many Haitians have called on the United States to send troops to stabilize the situation, but the Biden government is reluctant to do boots on the ground.
A spokesman for the State Department did not have comments about Kidnapping in Haiti on Saturday night.
17 American missionaries were kidnapped in Haiti, officials said
