The Catholic Church has warned that Haiti is facing a “descent into hell” and condemns the government’s inaction after ten people, including seven members of the clergy, were abducted by kidnappers.
“For some time we have witnessed the descent into the hell of Haitian society,” the archdiocese of the capital Port-au-Prince said in a statement, adding that “violence by armed gangs” “unprecedented” dimensions adopt.
‘The public authorities, which are doing nothing to resolve this crisis, are not susceptible to suspicion. We condemn complacency and complicity wherever it comes from, ”reads the statement.
The statement comes one day after the ten people were abducted in Croix-des-Bouquets, a city north-east of the capital Port-au-Prince. They contain seven Catholic clergy – five of them Haitians, as well as two French citizens, a priest and a nun.
The French Foreign Ministry has activated its crisis center in response, the Quai d’Orsay said in a statement on Monday.
The statement came as the French Bishops’ Conference and other French clergy expressed “their deep concern” and “urged the kidnappers to free the men and women they abducted and not to add hatred where there is already poverty and insecurity”. not’.
According to a police source, the authorities are behind an armed gang called ‘400 Mawozo’.
Kidnappings for ransom have increased in recent months in Port-au-Prince and other provinces, reflecting the growing influence of armed gangs.
“The CHR expresses its deep sadness, but also its anger at the subhuman situation in which we have been blowing for more than a decade,” the religious group said in its statement.
“Not a day goes by without crying and gnashing of teeth, but the so-called leaders of this country are still powerless as they cling to power.”
“It’s too much. The time has come for these inhuman acts to stop,” said Bishop Pierre-André Dumas of Miragoane in southwestern Haiti. “The church prays and stands in solidarity with all the victims of these heinous act, “he added.
In March, the Haitian government declared a month-long state of emergency to restore state power in gang-controlled areas, including the capital.
The measure was motivated by the actions of armed gangs that “kidnap people for ransom, openly declare it, steal and loot public and private property, and openly confront public security forces,” according to the presidential decision.
The increase in gang violence and political instability has recently attracted protesters to the streets of Port-au-Prince.
A week ago, hundreds of female protesters gathered in the city against the growing power of gangs, leading to an increase in kidnappings for ransom.
Haiti, the poorest country in America, also had a political crisis of months.
President Jovenel Moïse maintains that his term of office will last until February 7 next year, but others claim that it ended on February 7 this year.
The disagreement stems from the fact that Moses was elected in a vote that was canceled for fraud and re-elected a year later.
Without a parliament, the country would further plunge into a crisis in 2020, and Moïse would rule by order, fueling growing mistrust against him.
Amid the instability, Moïse said he plans to hold a constitutional referendum in June.