French nun, priest among the latest hostages released in Haiti

The remaining Catholic priests who were kidnapped in Haiti earlier in April, including a French priest and nun, have been released, a missionary group said on Friday.

The Society of Clergy Associations in Saint Jacques said the clergy were liberated but did not say if a ransom had been paid.

In a statement released on Friday, the Society of Priests of Saint Jacques said the hostages were in good health.

The missionary group thanked “the French and American ambassadors for their discreet and effective diplomatic contributions” and “all political and moral authorities in the country for their unwavering support”.

Five priests and two nuns were abducted on April 11 in Croix-des-Bouquets, a municipality northeast of Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince. The kidnappers had demanded a $ 1 million ransom for the group, which included a French priest and a French nun, according to a local priest.

Three of the seven kidnapped priests were released last week. But there was no information on whether a ransom had been paid. French citizens were not among the first group of hostages released, according to Father Loudger Mazile, spokesman for the bishops’ conference for the island nation.

Kidnappings for ransom have increased in recent months in Port-au-Prince and other provinces, reflecting the growing influence of armed gangs in the Caribbean nation.

The Haitian government resigned earlier this month and a new prime minister was appointed in the wake of the clerical kidnappings, a move that President Jovenel Moise said “will make it possible to address the obvious problem of insecurity and continue discussions to reach the necessary consensus for the political and institutional stability of our country. “

( Jowharwith AFP)