In Haiti, gangs continue to rule the roost with complete impunity: on Friday, June 10, one of the main armed gangs in Port-au-Prince hijacked two minibuses and took all of their occupants hostage. The security situation in the country continues to deteriorate: for the month of May alone, the UN has recorded at least 200 kidnappings in Haiti, the vast majority in the capital.
With our correspondent in Port-au-Prince, Amelie Baron
The vehicles were about to leave for Miragoane, located 100 kilometers west of Port-au-Prince, when gang members of Village de Dieu intervened. The two drivers and the 36 passengers are in the hands of criminal organization led by the nicknamed ” izo “.
He did not hide it: in a short video posted on social networks, he claimed responsibility for this group kidnapping, filming his face hooded and surrounded by people he presented as being the passengers of the minibuses.
Méhu Changeux, president of a road transport union, confirmed the facts. He said that to his knowledge no ransom demand had yet been made.
It has now been more than a year since the axis on which this group kidnapping took place is totally controlled by armed gangs. If the professional associations urge the drivers not to risk it any more, some take it all the same, because many inhabitants unfortunately do not have the means to pay for transport by the mountain: a longer way, in very bad condition but which today constitutes the only road alternative to come and go in the southern half of Haiti.