According to Adnkronos this morning, a 74-year-old Italian engineer, GC, an employee of a construction company based in Rome and working in Haiti for the construction of a road in Haiti, has been kidnapped. The authors, who have already contacted the local company headquarters, would act for extortion purposes.
The engineer was taken today from the construction site where he was for some surveys by unknown individuals. This was reported by the Farnesina in a note. The Crisis Unit of the Farnesina was immediately activated and is following the case in conjunction with the other competent branches of the State, with our Embassy in Panama and with our Honorary Consul on the spot.
Haiti and the kidnapping epidemic
It is a real ‘epidemic’ of kidnappings that has been taking place in Haiti in recent months, as reported by the news. Before the kidnapping of the 74-year-old Italian engineer, on April 30 the news of the release of the last six Catholic religious, of the group of ten missionaries kidnapped on April 11, near the capital Port-au Prince. The group included four Haitian priests and a nun and a French priest and nun. The other four religious had been released earlier.
The kidnappers, the BBC reported in recent weeks, had asked for a ransom of 1 million dollars, for which payment has never been confirmed. A criminal gang 400 Mazowo is believed to be behind the kidnapping. The kidnapping pushed the previous government to resign, with the appointment of a new prime minister, Claude Joseph.
The Catholic Church has defined the ongoing kidnapping crisis in the country, considered the poorest in the Western hemisphere, a “descent into hell”. According to United Nations data, in 2020 the number of kidnappings tripled compared to the previous year, reaching a total of 234 cases. In reality, according to observers, the number would be much higher, because many Haitians do not report the kidnappings for fear of reprisals by criminal gangs. The Center for Human Rights Analysis and Research, a Port-au-Prince NGO, recently reported having recorded 796 kidnappings last year.