Haiti: Notorious gang 400 Mawozo accused of abducting 17 US missionaries

A notorious Haitian gang infamous for carrying out brazen crimes has been accused by police of abducting as many as 17 Christian missionaries, including five children, from a US-based organisation. Christian Aid Ministries, based in Ohio, claimed that the kidnapped group included 16 Americans and one Canadian - including five children, seven women, and five men. According to the organisation, they were on their way to visit an orphanage, reported The Associated Press (AP). The missionary group offers Bible lessons, runs a medical clinic, aids orphans, and gives seeds to farmers in Haiti, among other things. 

The missionaries' kidnapping comes barely days after high-ranking US officials visited Haiti and offered increased resources for the Haitian National Police, including an additional $15 million to assist curb gang violence. Meanwhile, Haitian police inspector Frantz Champagne informed that the incident occurred in Ganthier, a hamlet east of the city of Port-au-Prince. He also stated that it was carried out by the '400 Mawozo group', which is also suspected of kidnapping five priests and two nuns in Haiti early this year. According to authorities, the gang, whose name loosely translates to '400 inexperienced men,' controls the Croix-des-Bouquets area, which includes Ganthier, where they often commit crimes including kidnappings, carjackings, and extorts business owners, reported AP. 

Spike in gang-related kidnappings in Haiti

After President Jovenel Mose was tragically murdered at his private residence on July 7, Haiti is once again dealing with a spike in gang-related kidnappings that had subsided in recent months. Notably, Wilson Joseph, the gang's alleged leader, was placed by Haitian police on the wanted list about a year ago on allegations of murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, and several other criminal charges. He goes by the moniker "Lanm Sanjou," which translates to "death doesn't know when it will come," reported The AP.

According to a report released last month by the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti, at least 328 kidnappings were reported to Haiti's National Police in the first eight months of 2021, compared to 234 for the entire year of 2020. As gangs have become more dominant, they have been accused of kidnapping school children, doctors, police officers, busloads of passengers, and others. A man claiming to be the 400 Mawozo's gang leader told a radio station in April that they were responsible for kidnapping five priests, two nuns, and three relatives of one of the priests that month. They were eventually freed, reported The AP. 

Image: AP

With inputs from AP