Haiti: Police raid in Croix-des-Bouquets frees six kidnapping victims Aug. 4

Event

A raid by the Haitian National Police (Police National d'Haiti, PNH) released six kidnapping victims, including at least one French national, Aug. 4. The gang holding the hostages was reportedly 400 Mawozo, a prominent criminal organization responsible for many kidnappings. Reports did not indicate when the suspects initially abducted the victims.

Croix-des-Bouquets is approximately 13 km (8 miles) east of Port-au-Prince.

Context

The threat of kidnapping in Haiti is high, fueled by the presence of heavily armed gangs and the poor economic and security situations in the country, amid which gangs are attempting to force the resignation of the prime minister. Although kidnappers are most likely to target locals, foreign nationals are also targets. The most common types of kidnapping in Haiti include basic, opportunistic kidnapping-for-ransom, express kidnapping, and virtual kidnapping. Foreign victims are usually released unharmed and relatively quickly; however, local victims face a threat of injury or death during confinement. The kidnapping threat is most acute in Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien.