‘They Broke Through a Wall’

Nine people have been abducted in Haiti in what is being described as a “mass kidnapping” in Port-au-Prince. The Guardian detailed that the abductees include an Irish missionary and a three-year-old child.

The incident took place at the Sainte-Helene orphanage in Kenscoff, south of the capital. Mayor Massillon Jean added that seven employees were also taken in what he called a “planned act.”

“They broke through a wall to enter the property before heading to the building where the director was staying, leaving with nine hostages,” he added. So far there have been no demands or ransom requests, but missionary Gena Heraty called the orphanage to confirm she had been kidnapped.

It is the latest such incident in the country, engulfed in violence and largely controlled by criminal gangs. The New York Times detailed days ago that an American veteran has also been missing for months following a failed mission conducted by a private contractor.

The man in question is Miot Patrice Jacquet, a U.S. Navy veteran and logistics coordinator, who went missing along with his cousin, Haitian police officer Steeve Duroseau.

They both disappeared in December during an operation conducted by Studebaker Defense and have not been since then. Haitian police believe corrupt officers working with gangs were involved in their abductions.

The outlet noted that Haiti’s transitional government turned to private contractors like Studebaker as traditional military assistance from foreign governments remained limited.

The group was paid approximately $150,000 per month to deploy a small team of former U.S. military personnel who trained a Haitian special police unit and supported an operation to capture gang leader Vitel’homme Innocent.

The mission failed, the men went missing and the presence of Studebaker was revealed, with authorities asking it to suspend operations less than two months after arriving in the country.

In the meantime, gangs continue gaining territory, recently killing three police officers in the country’s central region. The Associated Press reported in late July that the policemen were members of a specialized unit known as UDMO, usually deployed during protests. Videos circulating on social media show gunmen dragging bodies near a burning armored vehicle. A fourth police officer is missing as well.