HAITI: 38 PEOPLE WHERE ABDUCTED BY GUNMEN WHILE TRAVELING
Haitian gang members kidnapped 38 people on Friday as they were riding in minibuses headed west from the capital Port-au-Prince, the president of a drivers’ union told AFP.
"Two buses had just been filled with passengers bound for Miragoane," a town some 100 kilometers west of Port-au-Prince, "when the guys from Village de Dieu seized them," said Mehu Changeux, president of the association of owners and drivers of Haiti, referring to one of the capital's gang-controlled neighborhoods.
"Each bus had 18 people, in addition to the drivers," Changeux said, without saying if ransoms had been demanded.
The mass kidnapping came as Haiti find itself in the grip of armed gangs, whom police have failed to confront.
The new group abduction occurred as the armed gangs They are spreading terror in the Caribbean country, and the police are unable to restore order and security.
Since last June authorities have lost control of the only highway connecting the capital, Port-au-Prince, to southern Haiti. The abduction of 38 people took place in this area.
However, this appeal is not heeded by the poorest residents, as travel through the only alternative road costs much more due to tolls. “There are still buses that take the risk because some passengers do not have the financial means for the mountain route.” explains.
Last weekend, three Turkish women were released after a month in captivity. They were abducted by a criminal gang that controlled the area east of Port-au-Prince, all the way to the border with the Dominican Republic. The same gang is still holding five Turkish nationals hostage.
Note that in May alone, at least 200 kidnappings were recorded by the UN, overwhelmingly in Port-au-Prince.
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