THE APEX TIMES
The releases come nearly a week after the gang launched an attack on a community outside the capital, Port-au-Prince, kidnapping more than 50 people, according to UNICEF.
A violent gang in Haiti released six children and seven women after a mass kidnapping and a deadly attack on a community near Port-au-Prince nearly a week earlier, UNICEF said on Saturday, citing information provided about the victims’ status.
UNICEF said the gang had kidnapped more than 50 people in the weeks leading up to the attack and that the kidnapping followed the group’s assault on the community outside the capital. The agency characterized the incident as part of the broader pattern of armed group violence in Haiti that has disrupted daily life and intensified humanitarian needs.
The release of the children and women marks a partial outcome in an episode that began with the gang’s attack and escalated into a large-scale abduction, leaving families searching for missing relatives and forcing residents to shelter amid insecurity.
According to UNICEF, the gang released the women and children only after days in captivity, following the near-week interval since the initial assault. The agency did not provide additional operational details about where the releases took place or the specific circumstances under which the captives were freed.
Humanitarian and child-protection groups have repeatedly warned that in Haiti’s current security environment, kidnappings and targeted violence can lead to prolonged trauma and family separation, with children particularly vulnerable to exploitation and harm while communities lack safe access to services.
UNICEF’s statement underscored that the releases do not resolve the broader kidnapping claims associated with the attack. UNICEF indicated that the gang’s abductions involved more than 50 people, meaning many victims would remain missing or unaccounted for beyond the women and children released.
The incident is likely to keep pressure on Haitian authorities, and on international partners supporting stabilization efforts, to improve protection for communities around the capital and to strengthen accountability and operational capacity against armed groups that can conduct raids and kidnappings with impunity.
