Three more hostages who were abducted by a Hatian gang in October were released over the weekend.
“We are thankful to God that three more hostages were released last night,” said Christian Aid Ministries on Monday, a religious missions organization based in Holmes County.
CAM said the people released are “safe and seem to be in good spirits.” The organization declined to offer any additional details on the people released.
The news comes seven weeks following the Oct. 16 abduction by Mawozo, a Haitian gang. A group of 16 Americans and 1 Canadian was kidnapped while doing missions work at an orphanage near Port-au-Prince.
The gang has demanded a $1 million ransom for each prisoner.
Two people were released from captivity in late November. CAM has not released details about any of the people who have been released and it is unclear if a ransom was paid.
The latest release means there are 12 people still being held by the Haitian gang.
A Haitian man who identified himself as the gang’s leader said in a video posted to social media shortly after the abduction that he would kill “these Americans” if he doesn’t get what he needs.
“I will unload a big weapon to each of their heads,” the gang leader, Wilson Joseph, said in the video.
CAM encouraged people to focus the next few days on praying and fasting.
“Please continue to intercede for those who are still being held as well as those who have been released. We long for all the hostages to be reunited with their loved ones. Thank you for your prayer support,” CAM said in an emailed statement Friday.
The abduction of 17 people is just one example of Haiti’s growing problem with kidnappings and violence, which some have said stems from a fuel shortage, a natural disaster that killed thousands and a worsening political atmosphere.
Details on the weeks-long situation have been sparse.
Nevertheless, Sen. Rob Portman weighed in Monday on the hostage situation, saying he will continue to pressure the White House for a “whole-of-government approach” to address Haiti’s kidnapping issue.
“Today’s release of three more hostages from the Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries is another step forward, but we cannot rest until everyone being held is released,” Portman said. “While these efforts continue, I’ve highlighted that kidnapping in Haiti is an all-too common occurrence.
“I will continue to press the administration to develop a whole-of-government approach to address this problem, and I remain hopeful that all hostages are released safely.”
Portman, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, offered an amendment to the “Haiti Development, Accountability, and Institutional Transparency Initiative Act” shortly after the October abduction.
The amendment, unanimously approved on Oct. 19, requires “an assessment of U.S. interagency efforts to combat kidnapping and armed violence in Haiti.”
Portman also said he has spoken with officials at the Justice Department and the State Department about the CAM kidnapping and will “continue to push them to do more to secure the release of all the hostages.”
The Ohio senator asked Brian Nichols, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, for an update on the hostage situation on Nov. 30.
Nichols said he was personally involved in the investigation and assured Portman “I’m in contact with our embassy in Port-au-Prince on the situation every day.”
CAM, whose membership includes Amish, Mennonite and Anabaptist denominations, has worked in Haiti for decades as part of its global mission “to minister to physical and spiritual needs.” The organization sent missionaries and aid to 133 countries in 2020, according to its website.
The organization resumed mission work in Haiti in 2020 after a nine-month hiatus due to gang violence and political unrest.
