The kidnapping of a Dominican diplomat in Haiti for which they point to one of the most dangerous gangs in Port-au-Prince

Kidnappings continue to be the order of the day in Haiti.

The government of the Dominican Republic denounced on Sunday that one of its diplomats in the neighboring country had been kidnapped and asked the Haitian authorities to help him return “safe and sound.”

Look: The controversial campaign against “peepers” on the London Underground (and why it is considered sexual harassment)

In a statement addressed to the Haitian Foreign Ministry, the Dominican ambassador in Port-au-Prince, Faruk Miguel Castillo, specified that his office lost contact on Friday at noon with Carlos Guillenthe agricultural adviser of the diplomatic legation.

According to the text, Guillén was kidnapped in the Croix-des-Bouquets area, while on his way to the city of Jimaní, in the Dominican Republic.

The Croix-des-Bouquets area is controlled by the 400 Mawozo gang, who became known a few months ago for the kidnapping of 16 American missionaries and one Canadian, including several children.

The Dominican embassy reported that it had made the complaint to the Haitian authorities and that it had attached the records of the last phone calls made from Guillén’s phone.

The diplomat had been appointed to the position by President Luis Abinader in November 2020.

What else is known about the case

According to the Dominican embassy report, Guillén disappeared Friday at noon in the Croix-des-Bouquets neighborhood, on the outskirts of the Haitian capital, when he was en route to the border.

A source from the Dominican Foreign Ministry told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the kidnapping was carried out by 400 Mawozo.

BBC Mundo tried to contact the Dominican Foreign Ministry, but had no immediate response.

400 Mawozo, whose name in Spanish means “the 400 inexperienced men,” operates in the eastern district of Port-au-Prince, where it frequently carries out kidnappings, vehicle theft and extortion of businessmen, according to authorities.

This criminal group is one of around 150 that terrorize the Haitian capital every day.

According to the Dominican newspaper Listín Diario, Guillén’s family was informed that their relative was returning to the country when he was kidnapped in the company of another person, also held and later released.

“They have told us that he is fine, that we are calm,” a nephew of the diplomat told the newspaper.

Other Dominican media reported that the gang had asked for an amount of $500,000 for the release of the official.

REUTERS

400 Mawozo is known for kidnapping foreigners and demanding high sums of money.

In October they asked for US$1 million in ransom for each of the kidnapped missionaries.

It was not clear whether the church they belonged to or relatives paid the ransom, but the missionaries managed to regain their freedom two months later.

Christian Aid Ministries, the religious institution to which they belong, said 12 of them had escaped their captors and five others had been released earlier.

According to the Haitian Center for Analysis and Research on Human Rights, more than 1,200 people were kidnapped in 2021, although only 81 of them were foreign nationals.

Wave of violence and kidnappings

Guillén’s disappearance takes place at a time when the wave of violence and kidnappings in the Caribbean country has intensified.

As reported last week by the Haitian Civil Protection Office, at least 20 people died as a result of a conflict between the 400 Mawozo and another rival gang in the east of the country.

The gang war left many injured, violent incidents and forced hundreds of people to flee.

The Haitian authorities estimate that the situation, which has been going on for months, has caused more than 20,000 displaced.

Aerial view of a neighborhood in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (GETTY IMAGES)

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs confirmed last week that a UN helicopter parked on a runway at Guy Malary National Airport was hit by a stray bullet.

According to official reports, in addition to deaths, gunshot wounds and forced displacement, dozens of houses have been burned.

The social, economic and security crisis in Haiti worsened last July, when the country’s president Jovenel Moise He was killed in circumstances that have not yet been clarified.

Currently, the interim government is experiencing a crisis of legitimacy and is being questioned by members of civil society who also aspire to govern the country.

In addition to lacking an elected government almost a year after the president’s assassination, parliament has been reduced to just 10 senators; and the justice system is almost paralyzed, since lawyers and judges cannot go to the Port-au-Prince court because it is located in an area controlled by criminal gangs.

Source: Elcomercio