US, Haiti Seek Release of 17 Missionaries Taken by Gang

United States officials are working with Haitian officials to try to secure the release of 12 adults and five children with a U.S.- based religious group. All were taken over the weekend by members of a criminal group known for killings¹ and kidnappings.

The 16 Americans and one Canadian are with Christian² Aid Ministries³. They were taken by a group called 400 Mawozo. The gang controls the Croix-des-Bouquets area east of the capital Port-au-Prince, said a police official.

The kidnapping happened Saturday in the community of Ganthier, which lies in the gang's area.

As officials sought the release of the 17 people, local unions and other organizations were set to launch a strike Monday to protest Haiti's worsening security situation.

Haiti is again struggling with a rise in gang-related kidnappings, which had lessened⁴ in recent months. The rise in such crimes follows the murder of President Jovenel Moise on July 7 and a powerful earthquake that killed more than 2,200 people in August.

"Everyone is concerned. They're kidnapping from all social classes," said Méhu Changeux. He is president of Haiti's Association of Owners and Drivers. He spoke⁵ on Haiti's Magik9 radio station.

He said the worker strike would continue until the government could guarantee people's safety.

The kidnapping of the missionaries⁶ came just days after high-level U.S. officials visited Haiti and promised more resources for Haiti's National Police.

The U.S. State Department said Sunday that it was in communication with senior Haitian officials and would continue to work with them and other partners.

"The welfare and safety of U.S. citizens abroad is one of the highest priorities of the Department of State," the agency said in a statement.

Christian Aid Ministries said the kidnapped group included seven women, five men and five children, including a 2-year-old. The organization said the group was taken while on a trip to visit an orphanage⁷ -- a home for children who do not have living parents.

Christian Aid Ministries said in a statement, "As an organization, we commit this situation to God and trust him to see us through."

A yearly report published last year by Christian Aid Ministries said its American workers had returned to their base in Haiti after a nine-month break "due to political unrest." It noted⁸ the difficulties that come from such unrest.

Nearly a year ago, Haitian police publicly sought the supposed leader of the 400 Mawozo gang, Wilson Joseph. The police planned to charge him with murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, car stealing and the hijacking⁹ of trucks carrying goods.

Joseph also goes by the name of "Lanmò Sanjou," which means "death doesn't know which day it's coming."

As kidnapping cases rise, gangs have demanded money in exchange for a person's return. The gangs have at times asked for more than $1 million. Sometimes they kill those they have kidnapped, officials report.

At least 328 kidnappings were reported to Haiti's National Police in the first eight months of 2021, compared with a total of 234 for all of 2020. Those numbers come from the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti.

Gangs have been accused of kidnapping schoolchildren, doctors, police officers, bus passengers and others as they grow more powerful. In April, a man who claimed to be the leader of 400 Mawozo told a radio station that the gang was responsible for kidnapping five priests, two nuns¹¹ and three family members of one of the priests that month. The people were later released.

The increase in kidnappings and gang-related violence has forced Haitians to avoid some gang-controlled areas. Others choose to stay home. This, in turn, means less money for people like Charles Pierre. He is a moto taxi driver in Port-au-Prince. He has several children to feed.

"People are not going out in the streets," he said. "We cannot find people to transport."

Words in This Story

ministry¹² - n. religious leaders as a group

gang - n. a group of criminals

missionary¹³ - n. a person who is sent to a foreign country to do religious work (such as to convince people to join a religion or to help people who are sick, poor, etc.

priority - n. something that is more important than other things and that needs to be done or dealt with first

priest - n. a person who has the authority to lead or perform ceremonies in some religions and especially in some Christian religions

nun¹⁰ - n. a woman who is a member of a religious community and who usually promises to remain poor, unmarried, and separate from the rest of society in order to serve God

1 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

2 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

3 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

4 lessened   

减少的，减弱的

参考例句：

• Listening to the speech through an interpreter lessened its impact somewhat. 演讲辞通过翻译的嘴说出来，多少削弱了演讲的力量。
• The flight to suburbia lessened the number of middle-class families living within the city. 随着迁往郊外的风行，住在城内的中产家庭减少了。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 missionaries   

n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some missionaries came from England in the Qing Dynasty. 清朝时，从英国来了一些传教士。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The missionaries rebuked the natives for worshipping images. 传教士指责当地人崇拜偶像。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 orphanage   

n.孤儿院

参考例句：

• They dispensed new clothes to the children in the orphanage.他们把新衣服发给孤儿院的小孩们。
• They gave the proceeds of the sale to the orphanage.他们把销售的收入给了这家孤儿院。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 hijacking   

n. 劫持, 抢劫 动词hijack的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• I have been told about the hijacking . 我已听说了那次劫机事件。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语
• They are taking measures to guarantee against the occurrence of hijacking. 他们正采取措施防止劫机事件的发生。

10 nun   

n.修女，尼姑

参考例句：

• I can't believe that the famous singer has become a nun.我无法相信那个著名的歌星已做了修女。
• She shaved her head and became a nun.她削发为尼。

11 nuns   

n.（通常指基督教的）修女， （佛教的）尼姑( nun的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ah Q had always had the greatest contempt for such people as little nuns. 小尼姑之流是阿Q本来视如草芥的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Nuns are under vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. 修女须立誓保持清贫、贞洁、顺从。 来自辞典例句

12 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

13 missionary   

adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士

参考例句：

• She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
• I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。