Top religious leaders in Haiti are demanding government action after gangs in the country have kidnapped several nuns amid rising violence.
The Archdiocese of the nation's capital pleaded for the release of six nuns who were taken captive last week. He also called on the national government to take action to rein in gang violence.
In a strongly worded letter released on Monday, the Archdiocese along with the Haitian Conference of the Religious said that the people of the country are tired of the "reign of terror" that has been imposed by armed groups. It also argued that government officials should protect the people and their property.
The letter added that on many occasions, the Church had denounced the government's silence, which is similar to an attitude of contempt for people's suffering. Religious leaders have voiced their distress over witnessing that there has been no serious response to what they called a scourge of kidnappings in the past two years, as per the Independent.
They also argued that the ongoing violence in the region has plunged the country into an increasingly confusing and chaotic situation. In the letter, they called for the safe release of the kidnapped nuns without conditions.
The victims who were taken captive as well as two other individuals were traveling aboard a bus in the nation's capital when they were kidnapped last Friday. No group has publicly claimed responsibility for the abduction of the religious members.
Pope Francis on Sunday pleaded for the release of the nuns as he spoke from a window of the Apostolic Palace to the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square. He learned of the development and said that it filled him with sorrow.
Gang members are reportedly asking for $3 million in exchange for the release of the nuns who were kidnapped. The development comes as it is common for gangs in Haiti to initially demand an exorbitant amount of money before entering negotiations to release victims taken into their custody, according to the Miami Herald.
Lack of Security
However, if the ransom demand is paid, there is no guarantee that the gang will free the people who have been abducted. Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise nearly three years ago, gang kidnappings and violence have been on the rise at an alarming rate in Haiti.
The nuns who were kidnapped in Port-au-Prince were members of the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Anne. The congregation itself has had a presence for the last eight decades and the nuns provide services in the fields of religious instruction and education, among other areas.
Armed gangs have stepped up their murderous activities since last Sunday as demonstrations against the lack of security have been raging across Haiti. In the Solino district in the south of the nation's capital on Thursday, violent exchanges of gunfire took place between rival gangs, including an armed group from the neighboring Bel-Air district.
Other districts of Port-au-Prince, Carrefour Pean, and Delmas 24, have also been targeted by gang attacks. In the streets of the capital, residents set up barricades in order to protect themselves from the violent groups, said the Vatican News.
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