Haitian gang frees missionaries

Late Thursday afternoon,  the remaining members of an Ohio-based missions group returned to their headquarters in Titanyen, just north of Port-au-Prince. Haiti National Police spokesman Garry Derosiers said on Thursday that the 400 Mawozo gang released the final 12 hostages. Christian Aid Ministries confirmed: “Join us in praising God that all seventeen of our loved ones are now safe.” Sixteen American missionaries, one Canadian, and their Haitian driver were kidnapped exactly two months ago. A convoy of a dozen U.S. Embassy SUVs and Haitian National Police transported the freed hostages to the Port-au-Prince airport on Thursday. 

What happened? The missionary group was abducted during an orphanage visit near Port-au-Prince on Oct. 16 and held for a ransom of $1 million each. The group included 12 adults and five children, the youngest being eight months old at the time. Five hostages were released earlier. Police have not given details on who remained in captivity or whether their ransoms were paid. Christian Aid Ministries said it hopes to give more information later. 

Dig deeper: Read Jamie Dean’s report about how Haitian churches have coped with rampant violence.