The leader of a gang in Haiti is holding a group of 17 American missionaries hostage on the Caribbean island. The leader of the gang is threatening to harm them unless their demands are met.
“I swear by thunder that if I don’t get what I’m asking for, I will put a bullet in the heads of these Americans.”
The leader of a Haitian gang that kidnapped a group of 17 missionaries threatened to kill them if he doesn’t get the $17 million ransom https://t.co/6O4t9aL5Hr pic.twitter.com/EdAE7zQwao
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) October 23, 2021
The gang’s demands are beyond outrageous:
The leader of the 400 Mawozo gang is threatening to kill those abducted if his demands are not met. Haitian officials have said the gang is seeking $1 million ransom per person.
The FBI and State Department are working with Haitian authorities on the safe return of the kidnap victims.
This past weekend, members of the community in Hart, Michigan gathered to pray for the safe return of their friends and family.
The gang is notorious for kidnapping. This year they also kidnapped five priests and two nuns. Haiti is one of the global hotbeds for kidnapping and ransom with authorities reporting 638 kidnapping incidents in the first half of 2021.
Haitians are striking in solidarity with the hostages and demanding their government do something about the gang violence plaguing the beleaguered island nation.
Haitian workers go on strike in wake of missionary kidnapping https://t.co/wphrDOkHQJ pic.twitter.com/EVc7b8KwN8
— The Hill (@thehill) October 19, 2021
Who Are The Kidnapped Missionaries in Haiti?
The Americans kidnapped are from the Mennonite, Amish, and other Anabaptist faiths. Among the kidnapped are four children and a Haitian driver. Christian Aid Ministries brought the group to Haiti on a mission trip. CAM released the following statement and shared prayers from people across the world.
As the families of the hostages stated earlier this week, “God invites us to call upon His name in the day of trouble…We thank Him that He is God, and ask Him to hear our prayers and bring our families home.”
One father of a hostage shared about the kidnappers, “We are interested in the salvation of these men and we love them.” Another father said, “As a family we are giving forgiveness to these men. We are not holding anything against them.”
Though the past week has been difficult, the families are united in their desire to follow Jesus’ teaching of forgiveness. “As a group of Christians, our King [Jesus] said that He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance,” a family member shared. “That is our desire for the men who are part of the gang.”
The outpouring of love and forgiveness is remarkable. I would not be able to have the same heart for grace if someone kidnapped my family.
2021 – A Rough Year For Haiti
Haiti, a nation in near-constant turmoil has had a particularly rough 2021.
In August a massive earthquake led to a migrant crisis at the southern US border as thousands of Haitians sought to seek asylum.
In July, armed gunman assassinated President Jovenel Moïse, the reason for which is still shrouded in mystery.
Will you lift these people up in prayer? Share your prayers in the comments section.