The group responsible, 400 mawozo, led by “lanmo sanjou” or death doesn’t know which day it’s coming, has been one of many gangs that have been terrorizing the population at large with violence and kidnapping.
On Saturday, heavily armed men from the “400 mawozo” gang hijacked a bus on the road from Ganthier to Toussaint Louverture International Airport, taking 17 American missionaries from a Christian religious organization located in Ohio hostage, as well as their family members, including children. This was, for some of these missionaries, their first trip to Haiti. The missionaries were returning from a visit to an orphanage and were going to drop off several of their members at the airport before continuing their tour.
On Monday October 18th, three days after, news reported the gang members are asking 1 million dollars per missionary to release them.
Thousands of workers angry about the nation’s lack of security went on strike in protest. The strike led by local unions and other organizations disrupted much of daily life.
Public transportation drivers stayed home, and businesses and schools were closed.
Only a handful of moto taxi drivers zoomed through Port-au-Prince looking for customers.
“The population cannot take it any more,” said Holin Alexis, a moto taxi driver who joined the strike.
Barricades of burning tires closed off some streets in the capital and in other cities, including Les Cayes in southern Haiti, with some people throwing rocks at the occasional car that drove past.
Stoppage would continue until the government could guarantee people’s safety.
