Lauren Moye, FISM NEWS
Haitians instituted a nationwide strike in protest of increased gang violence and kidnapping on Monday.
The violence that has gripped the island nation gained national attention after the bold weekend kidnapping of 17 Christian missionaries. Giuseppe Loprete, chief of the International Organization for Migration’s Haiti mission, referenced the turmoil citizens are facing in a tweet yesterday:
Empty roads this morning in Port-au-Prince #Haiti. General strike, no commercial activities, no public transport, no fuel, no schools, no life. The population is exhausted. Instability, violence and chaos are pushing ppl to leave more than poverty. @UNmigration @UNHaiti @IOMHaiti pic.twitter.com/T66PgVm1H9
— Giuseppe Loprete (@g_loprete) October 18, 2021
Kidnappings and other gang-related violence have risen drastically in Haiti. The Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights, a nonprofit organization based in Haiti, announced that 628 kidnappings had occurred in 2021 through the end of September.
The country has undergone both political and economic crises in recent months beyond the global pandemic. In July, President Jovenal Moise was assassinated in a murder that is still unsolved. In August, the country was impacted by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that killed 2,200 citizens and further undermined a fragile infrastructure. The unrest has increasingly emboldened gangs.
Citizens like business owner Diego Toussaint are trying to bring the governments attention to the unrest. Toussaint told Reuters, “This strike is our way of saying that we can’t take it anymore. We live in fear.”
Gangs have even gained control through extortion of needed medical supplies. NBC News reported that a Port-au-Prince doctor has been forced to negotiate the safe passage of liquefied oxygen. Dr. Richard Frechette said, “It’s hair-raising because you’re going to have 40 people dead in your hospital in a matter of hours if you don’t succeed.”
Leaders in Haiti’s transportation industry originally planned the 48-hour strike due to their increased risk of becoming victims of out-of-control gangs. That was before the 400 Mawazo gang kidnapped 17 missionaries yesterday.
The group, associated with Christian Aid Ministries, contained sixteen Americans and one Canadian who were visiting an orphanage outside of Port-au-Prince. Control Risks, a risk consultancy firm with local clientele, has stated that 9 out of 10 Haitian kidnappings take place in the vicinity of this city. The victimized group includes five children and six women.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the gang has demanded $17m for the release of the missionaries, $1m per missing person. The FBI and Haitian police have made contact with the gang, however, Justice Minister Liszt Quitel, told the Journal that “negotiations could take weeks.”
CAM released an update on their missionaries on Monday. After requesting prayer for the men, women, and children, the ministry also said, “Pray that those being held hostage could find strength to demonstrate God’s love. The kidnappers, like all people, are created in the image of God and can be changed if they turn to Him. While we desire the safe release of our workers, we also desire that the kidnappers be transformed by the love of Jesus, the only true source of peace, joy, and forgiveness.”