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world news Dialuna 18 OctOber 2021

Gang with past abductions blamed for kidnapping missionaries

(AP) — A notorious Haitian the kidnappers and the fami- a more recent video, he ap- of dozens of people who A protest is scheduled for
gang known for brazen kid- lies, friends and churches of pears holding a bottle of al- have been abducted in recent Monday to decry the nation’s
nappings and killings was those affected,” Christian Aid cohol surrounded by heavily months. lack of security.
accused by police Sunday Ministries said in a statement. armed men. Another video
of abducting 17 missionar- “As an organization, we com- from June shows people in- At least 328 kidnappings “Political turmoil, the surge
ies from a U.S.-based orga- mit this situation to God and side a church fleeing as gun- were reported to Haiti’s Na- in gang violence, deteriorat-
nization. Five children were trust Him to see us through.” fire erupted outside on a tional Police in the first eight ing socioeconomic condi-
believed to be among those Saturday morning. The gang months of 2021, compared tions — including food inse-
kidnapped. Haiti is once again struggling was accused of raiding the with a total of 234 for all of curity and malnutrition — all
with a spike in gang-related area and setting cars on fire. 2020, according to a report is- contribute to the worsening
The 400 Mawozo gang kid- kidnappings that had dimin- sued last month by the Unit- of the humanitarian situa-
napped the group — which ished in recent months, af- A senior U.S. official, speak- ed Nations Integrated Office tion,” BINUH said in its re-
also included some elderly ter President Jovenel Moïse ing on condition of anonymi- in Haiti known as BINUH. port. “An overstretched and
people — in Ganthier, a was fatally shot at his pri- ty, said the United States is in under-resourced police force
commune that lies east of vate residence on July 7 and touch with Haitian authori- Gangs have been accused of alone cannot address the se-
the capital of Port-au-Prince, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake ties to try to resolve the case. kidnapping schoolchildren, curity ills of Haiti.”
Haitian police inspector killed more than 2,200 peo- doctors, police officers, bus-
Frantz Champagne told The ple in August. Christian Aid Ministries loads of passengers and oth- On Friday, the U.N. Security
Associated Press. The gang came under public scru- ers as they grow more pow- Council voted unanimously
was blamed for kidnapping Nearly a year ago, Haitian tiny in 2019, when one of erful. In April, a man who to extend the U.N. political
five priests and two nuns ear- police issued a wanted poster the group’s former workers claimed to be the gang leader mission in Haiti.
lier this year in Haiti. for the gang’s alleged leader, based in Haiti was convicted of the 400 Mawozo told a ra-
Wilson Joseph, on charges of felony sexual abuse against dio station that they were the The kidnapping of the mis-
The gang, whose name including murder, attempted minors in Ohio. Jeriah Mast, ones responsible for kidnap- sionaries comes just days af-
roughly translates to 400 murder, kidnapping, auto 40, is serving a nine-year ping five priests, two nuns ter high-level U.S. officials
“inexperienced men,” con- theft and the hijacking of sentence in an Ohio pris- and three relatives of one of visited Haiti and promised
trols the Croix-des-Bouquets trucks carrying goods. He on. During the hearing, the the priests that month. They more resources for Haiti’s
area that includes Ganthier, goes by the nickname “Lan- judge said Mast told him that were later released. National Police, including
where they carry out kidnap- mò Sanjou,” which means he also molested at least 30 another $15 million to help
pings and carjackings and ex- “death doesn’t know which boys in Haiti in the span of The spike in kidnappings reduce gang violence, which
tort business owners, accord- day it’s coming.” about 15 years, according to and gang-related violence this year has displaced thou-
ing to authorities. The Daily Record newspaper has forced Haitians to take sands of Haitians who now
Joseph, who could not be im- in Ohio. detours around certain live in temporary shelters in
Ohio-based Christian Aid mediately reached for com- gang-controlled areas while increasingly unhygienic con-
Ministries said the kidnapped ment, has posted videos de- Amid the spike in kidnap- others simply opt to stay ditions.
group consisted of 16 U.S. tailing the alleged crimes the pings, gangs have demand- home, which in turn means
citizens and one Canadian, gang has committed in recent ed ransoms ranging from a less money for people like Among those who met with
for a total of five children, years. couple of hundred dollars Charles Pierre, a moto taxi Haiti’s police chief was Uzra
seven women and five men. to more than $1 million, ac- driver in Port-au-Prince who Zeya, U.S. under secretary of
The organization said they Once, when the gang opened cording to authorities. has several children to feed. state for civilian security, de-
were on a trip to visit an or- fire on a small bus carrying mocracy, and human rights.
phanage. several passengers and killed Last month, a deacon was “People are not going out in “Dismantling violent gangs is
an infant, Wilson said it was killed in front of a church in the streets,” he said. “We can- vital to Haitian stability and
“Join us in praying for those not their fault because the the capital of Port-au-Prince not find people to transport.” citizen security,” she recently
who are being held hostage, bus driver refused to stop. In and his wife kidnapped, one tweeted.

Volunteers in the sky watch over migrant rescues by sea

(AP) — As dozens of African mi- neider, communicated via radio with they reached Lampedusa. That was if less abuse.
grants traversed the Mediterra- the only vessel nearby. The captain of their boat did not fall apart or capsize
nean Sea on a flimsy white rub- the Nour 2, agreed to change course along the way. Bretschneider sent the rubber boat’s
ber boat, a small aircraft circling and check up on the flimsy boat. But coordinates to the air liaison officer
1,000 feet above closely moni- after seeing the boat had a Libyan flag, Despite the risks, many migrants and sitting in Berlin, who then relayed the
tored their attempt to reach Eu- the people refused its assistance, the refugees say they’d rather die trying position (inside the Maltese Search
rope. captain reported back on the crack- to cross to Europe than be returned and Rescue zone) to both Malta and
ling radio. to Libya where, upon disembarka- Italy. Unsurprisingly to them, they
The twin-engine Seabird, owned by tion, they are placed in detention received no response.
the German non-governmental or- “They say they only have 20 liters of centers and often subjected to relent-
ganization Sea-Watch, is tasked with fuel left,” the captain, who did not
documenting human rights viola- identify himself by name, told the
tions committed against migrants at Seabird. “They want to continue on
sea and relaying distress cases to near- their journey.”
by ships and authorities who have in-
creasingly ignored their pleas. The small boat’s destination was the
Italian island of Lampedusa, where
On this cloudy October afternoon, an tourists sitting in outdoor cafés
approaching thunderstorm height- sipped on Aperol Spritz, oblivious to
ened the dangers for the overcrowded what was unfolding 60 nautical miles
boat. Nearly 23,000 people have died (111 kilometers/68 miles) south of
or gone missing in the Mediterranean them on the Mediterranean Sea.
trying to reach Europe since 2014, ac-
cording to the United Nations’ mi- Bretschneider, a 30-year-old social
gration agency. worker, made some quick calcula-
tions and concluded the migrants
“Nour 2, Nour 2, this is aircraft Sea- must have departed Libya approxi-
bird, aircraft Seabird,” the aircraft’s mately 20 hours ago and still had
tactical coordinator, Eike Bretsch- some 15 hours ahead of them before