Dominican Republic Diplomat Kidnapped by 400 Mawozo Gang in Haiti Released

The Dominican Republic diplomat, who was kidnapped in Haiti by the 400 Mawozo gang last week, has finally been released.

Roberto Alvarez, the foreign minister of the Dominican Republic, tweeted Wednesday that Carlitin Guillen Tatis had been released "safe and sound" after "four days" of being held captive by the group.

"Fortunately, Carlitin Guillen Tatis, advisor to the Dominican embassy in Haiti, has been released safe and sound after 4 days of kidnapping," Alvarez said. The foreign minister then thanked "everyone who actively participated in his release."

Al Jazeera reported that Guillen was seized by the 400 Mawozo gang members while traveling to the neighboring Dominican Republic on Friday. He was believed kidnapped while traveling from Port-au-Prince by road to Jimani, a city across the border in the Dominican Republic.

In a statement, the Dominican government earlier said contact with Guillen was lost while he was in the Croix-des-Bouquets area on his way to the city of Jimani, Associated Press reported.

Faruk Miguel Castillo, the Dominican ambassador to Haiti, reportedly sent screenshots of the last calls from Guillen's phone to Haitian authorities at their request.

Reports claimed that the 400 Mawozo gang had demanded at least $500,000 in exchange for his freedom. However, it was unclear if the Dominican Republic government paid the ransom that the group requested.

Authorities have also not mentioned details regarding Guillen's condition following his release.

400 Mawozo Gang Leader Transferred to the U.S. From Haiti

The release of the Dominican Republic diplomat came after one of the leaders of the 400 Mawozo gang was transferred to the U.S. from Haiti over smuggling weapons and kidnapping of U.S. citizens.

The extradited gang leader was identified as Germine Joly, also known as Yonyon. He was extradited to the U.S. on Tuesday after a request from the U.S. on April 22.

According to reports, Joly was sent to the U.S. aboard a special flight with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Authorities did not immediately mention where the gang leader was being taken to, but a source told Miami Herald that Joly would be brought to Washington D.C.

Joly had been held at the National Penitentiary in Port-au-Prince for several years until his extradition on Tuesday. He reportedly ran the 400 Mawozo gang from behind bars using his cellphone and negotiated the release of hostages and his freedom.

The 400 Mawozo gang is infamous for kidnapping foreigners and demanding high ransom in exchange for their release.

Haiti's Kidnapping on the Rise, U.N. Says

Haiti's rate of kidnapping has been on the rise, and the Haitian police are struggling to contain the gang violence in the country, according to the United Nations (U.N.)

Haiti's Center for Analysis and Research on Human Rights revealed that in 2021, more than 1,200 people were kidnapped by the gangs in the country. Of that number, 81 were attributed to abducted foreign nationals.

At least 10 percent of the kidnapping was also attributed to "collective abductions," wherein gang members seize a group of people, sometimes through storming churches.

There were also instances reported of clergy being kidnapped in the middle of the mass. Unrest between gangs is also taking place in the neighborhoods of Croix-des-Bouquets, Cité Soleil, Bas Delmas, and Martissant.

U.N.'s Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General Farhan Haq said the U.N. Humanitarian Office Affairs Office recorded more than 1,200 people displaced due to the conflict. Furthermore, Haq noted that at least 26 civilians were killed, and 22 were left injured in connection to the gang fights.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

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