Travel Securely Securely Travel
Over the weekend we saw 16 Americans and 1 Canadian volunteers in Haiti kidnapped. The Haitian Minister of Justice, Liszt Quitel said that those kidnapped were associated with the Christian Aid Ministries and of the 17, five were children (including an infant). Quitel was quite adamant that the Haitian government, her office specifically were not negotiating with the kidnappers. She did however confirm that those who abducted the foreign volunteers were associated with the “400 Mawozo Gang.”
According to the director for the Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights in Port-au-Prince, Gédéon Jean, the gang has been responsible for approximately 80 percent of all abductions in the third quarter of 2021. He did not provide a number to put that percentage in context. He did however, note, this gang had previously kidnapped two nuns and five priests in April 2021. These individuals were released after almost three weeks of captivity.
While the FBI has sent a team to Haiti to assist in the resolution of this latest kidnapping of foreigners, there is no guarantee that this kidnapping will be resolved anytime soon. This should be a clear signal to foreign travelers to Haiti, that the country is considered an extraordinary high risk, that security precautions should be taken during travel and that travelers should ensure they have both kidnap insurance.
The U.S. and other nation’s Embassy’s will work diligently to obtain your release, they are not a quick reaction force, standing by for when a traveler is in harms way.
Travelers also should ensure and their life documents are in order in the event of an emergency, such as kidnapping.
The current Department of States travel advisory has Haiti identified as a DO NOT TRAVEL - Level 4 country. The country summary speaks volumes:
Kidnapping is widespread and victims regularly include U.S. citizens. Kidnappers may use sophisticated planning or take advantage of unplanned opportunities, and even convoys have been attacked. Kidnapping cases often involve ransom negotiations and U.S. citizen victims have been physically harmed during kidnappings. Victim’s families have paid thousands of dollars to rescue their family members.
U.S. Travel Advisory - 23 August 2021 re Haiti
