Diplomatic efforts ongoing to secure release of kidnapped Irish missionary Gena Heraty and seven others in Haiti
It's understood that the mediator, who is not an official of the Haitian or local government, is attempting to arrange for Gena Heraty, six other staff members, and a three year old child to be freed from the captors.
A local crime gang are behind the kidnapping but, as of last night, no formal ransom demand had be made.
The attackers stormed the Sainte-Helen orphanage in the commune of Kenscoff, 10km south-east of Port-Au-Prince, in the early hours of Sunday morning in what local officials say was a "planned act".
Ms Heraty, who runs the charity for children with special needs, was kidnapped along with seven other staff members and a three-year-old child.
The Westport native has been a charity worker in Haiti for 32 years and later made contact with the orphanage by phone to confirm she had been taken.
The town of Kenscoff has recently been besieged by a wave of atrocities including murders, kidnappings and sexual assaults by 'Viv Ansanm', a gang which has been designated as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US Government. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the abduction and no ransom demands have been made.
Last night Irish diplomatic efforts were continuing to secure the safe release of Ms Heraty and the seven other abductees.
It had initially been reported that nine people were abducted but this was later revised to eight.
The Tánaiste Simon Harris said that "all is being done" and that they will "leave no stone unturned to ensure Gena and her colleagues are released".
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'Gena has served the people of Haiti for over 30 years,' Mr Harris said on Sunday.
'She has dedicated her life to supporting the most vulnerable people in Haiti and it is imperative that she is released immediately.
'I had a good conversation with Gena's sister, Noreen, and I assured her that all is being done to ensure Gena's release.'
Her family said that they were "absolutely devastated" by the news, describing the situation as evolving and deeply worrying.
"We are working closely with NPFS in Haiti and Ireland, the Irish Government, and international partners who are doing everything possible to ensure the safe and immediate release of Gena and her colleagues,' her family said.
'NPFS Haiti is working actively to ensure the ongoing safety and well-being of all the children and workers at the orphanage in Kenscoff during this challenging time. We ask that you keep Gena and her colleagues in your hearts as we pray for their safe return.
'Out of respect for the ongoing efforts and for Gena's safety, we are not in a position to share further details at this time,' the family statement read.
Massillon Jean, the mayor of Kenscoff, said that the attackers broke into the orphanage at around 3.30am without opening fire, describing it as a "planned act".
The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs said he has spoken to the family of Gena Heraty and said her kidnapping is 'deeply worrying'.
Speaking today, the Tánaiste said: 'The kidnapping of Irish citizen Gena Heraty, along with seven of her colleagues and a three-year-old child from the grounds of an orphanage in Kenscoff, Haiti, is deeply worrying.
'Gena has served the people of Haiti for over 30 years.
'She has dedicated her life to supporting the most vulnerable people in Haiti and it is imperative that she is released immediately.
'This morning, I had a good conversation with Gena's sister, Noreen, and I assured her that all is being done to ensure Gena's release.
'My Department is in close contact with the Heraty family, local authorities and Nos Petits Frères et Sœurs, the organisation Gena works for. The country's two ambassadors are also in close contact.
"We will continue to leave no stone unturned to ensure Gena and her colleagues are released.'
In a statement published on Sunday, NPH said that seven staff members and one youth were taken from its home for vulnerable and at risk children in Kenscoff.
The organisation confirmed that one of the staff members taken is a foreigner, whose identity and nationality will not be revealed for security reasons. NPH also said that two hospitals it runs in Haiti will be closed until the people taken from its orphanage have been safely released.
Gangs control 90pc of Haiti's capital, according to the United Nations, and in recent months they have been launching attacks on previously peaceful communities.
More than 5,600 people were reported killed in Haiti last year, with gang violence leaving more than 1 million people homeless in recent years, according to the UN. The UN recorded 185 victims of kidnapping in Haiti between April and June of this year, and said that gangs commit this crime to 'subjugate' people in areas under their control.
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The Journal
13 minutes ago
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Irish business ties to Haiti could be key to securing release of kidnapped missionary Gena Heraty
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One security source in the Caribbean and Latin America region said there has been a large increase in kidnappings as it is seen as an easy earner for the gang members who are now believed to control 90% of Port au Prince and its surrounds. Irish diplomacy has a small footprint in the region and their diplomatic efforts are largely handled through the United Nations in New York. There is no Irish consulate in Port au Prince. It is understood that an Emergency Consular Assistance Team (ECAT) has not been stood up by the Department of Foreign Affairs. ECAT teams – generally made up of experienced diplomats and Defence Forces members such as the Army Ranger Wing – are sometimes sent in to trouble spots to provide emergency evacuations of Irish citizens, and can also be deployed in hostage situations. Instead the Department of Foreign Affairs is anticipated to use the Irish connections with a strong base in the area to make contact with the gangs and to find a way to free Gena Heraty. Societal collapse Port au Prince is the size of Dublin with 1.2 million people living there and most are in desperate need of humanitarian help. There has been a collapse in Haitian society in recent years as gangs seek to take over the impoverished island nation. Reports from Haiti have said that there is widespread violence which includes systematic sexual violence against, children and adult women and men. A Kenyan deployment last year of hundreds of police officers to Haiti in a US-funded and UN-backed mission to help local law enforcement secure the country has struggled to make progress. A file image of children with their faces covered marching alongside gang boss 'Barbecue' in Port-au- Prince, Haiti. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo 'Barbecue' and Viv Ansanm There are multiple gangs but the largest, Viv Ansanm, came about through an alliance between the two main factions operating in Port-au-Prince, G-9 and G-Pèp. Advertisement Last month the UN Security Council was told by Ghada Fathi Waly , Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), that 90% of Port au Prince was in control of the gangs. 'As gang control expands, the state's capacity to govern is rapidly shrinking, with social, economic and security implications. This erosion of state legitimacy has cascading effects,' Waly told the UN. The key issue is that these gangs control major trade routes and are able to turn off the supply of food and other humanitarian supplies. Kidnapping Gena Heraty was abducted along with seven others, including a three-year-old child, from the Sainte-Hélène orphanage in Kenscoff, Haiti, over the weekend. The incident saw gang leaders in the early hours of the morning breaking down a wall into her compound and seizing her and her colleagues. It not her first time being the victim of conflict in the area and Gena previously was injured in an attack. Kenscoff is located 10 kilometres to the south of the capital Port au Prince – this area of the country is controlled by Viv Ansanm. While there has been no official confirmation, multiple security sources in Haiti told The Journal that they believe it is Viv Ansanm that has taken Gena Heraty. The gang is run by a notorious Haitian war lord and former police officer Jimmy Chérizier – ominously known as 'Barbeque'. His goal is to take over the country and run it as his own state. Viv Ansanm has rifles and heavy weaponry supplied by Florida based weapons dealers – this has been confirmed by the markings on seized firearms. Jimmy Cherizier, aka Barbecue with masked gunmen in Port au Prince. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Looting of aid convoys The United Nations has said that the gang members, some of whom are armed children, have been participating in looting of aid convoys, hospitals and pharmacies. 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an hour ago
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"You can't run from bullets in a straight skirt." Those words were recalled by kidnapped humanitarian Gena Heraty in 2023 when she wrote an article for the Mayo News. It was a reference to a casual conversation with a female work colleague when Gena commented that she looked lovely in her matching skirt and blouse. Her friend, although flattered, told her that she had carefully chosen the loose-fitting skirt because 'it is hard to run from gun fire if you are wearing a straight skirt'. Gena recalled in her December 2023 article that she would "never look at a skirt in the same way again'. The exchange offered a brief insight into the heightened awareness of humanitarian workers of the often violent environments where they work. Ms Heraty, a native of Westport in Co Mayo who is in her mid-50s, was abducted along with seven others and a child from an orphanage in Haiti over the weekend. She had been overseeing the Sainte-Helene orphanage in the commune of Kenscoff, about 10km southeast of the capital, Port-au-Prince. The Foyer Sainte-Hélène home for 244 children is in an area that had, until January, been largely untouched by the gang violence that is ripping the country apart and fast bringing it to the point of all-out anarchy. Haiti conflict Kenscoff, which is home to much of the country's business and political elite, was attacked on January 27 and surrounded by heavily armed gangs. More than 40 people - including pastors, teachers and children - died during the first eight days of violence, which saw gunmen - some of whom were just teenagers - going from house to house firing at people indiscriminately. The attack marked the start of an ongoing bid ever since by gangs to seize more territory from Haiti's Transitional Presidential Council. The council was sworn in on a non-renewable mandate, which expires in February next year, just days after acting prime minister Ariel Henry resigned in April 2024. In office since the July 2021 assasination of Haitian president Jovenel Moïse, Ariel Henry had repeatedly postponed a general election he had promised. Gena Heraty (right). What started as a six-month placement in Haiti in June 1993 turned into a lifetime commitment. Photo: NPH Haiti Special Needs Programs/Facebook His resignation was forced by gang boss Jimmy "Barbecue" Chérizier, who heads a coalition of gangs in Haiti known as Viv Ansanm. The former police officer has said that he would consider putting down his arms if he was involved in the formation and part of the next government. Attacks by Viv Ansanm in Kenscoff after January have included one in April when police were attacked, vehicles set on fire and tactical gear stolen. That same month, the UN warned that Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere, was approaching a "point of no return" and "total chaos'. It also accepted that gangs were now in control of around 85% of Port-au-Prince. Earlier in the year, the UN migration agency also reported that internal displacement of people from their homes in Haiti had tripled over the past year to more than one million people. It said 'relentless gang violence' in Port-au-Prince was fuelling mass displacement and a near collapse of health care and other services, as well as worsening food insecurity. The UN has said that while more than 5,600 people were killed in Haiti in 2024, up 20% on the year before, more than 2,200 people were injured and nearly 1,500 kidnapped. Between April and June this year alone, another 1,500 have been killed and more than 185 kidnapped. Westport native, Gena Heraty: 'The day you focus on all that we all have in common with each other, will be the day you realise there is no 'us and them'.' The kidnapping of Ms Heraty and her colleagues last Sunday came a few hours after the arrest the day before by heavily-armed members of Haiti's National Police of a former senator in Port-au Prince. The rise in gang activities has come despite the renewal of the mandate of the mostly US-funded non-UN Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission deployed to Haiti last year to help restore law and order. In June, it emerged that just 991 of the planned 3,000 Kenyan-led deployment of soldiers and police officers last year are serving with MSS, and the equipment they have is 'below 30% of planned capabilities'. Analysts believe that despite the volatile relationships between members of Viv Ansanm, the coalition is 'likely to endure' as a united front as long as it faces the shared threat of an international security force. The non-governmental organisation Armed Conflict Location & Event Data group (ACLED), which monitors, collects and analyses data on global conflicts, noted late last year that gangs perceive the MSS mission as an emerging threat, something that prompted them to join forces in the first place, and adapt their operations in the lead-up to the troop deployment. UN and US actions If the increased activity of gangs has had a bearing on Ms Heraty's kidnapping, recent actions against Haitian gangs by both the UN and the US may also have played a role. Just weeks ago, on July 8, the UN Security Council added the Gran Grif and Viv Ansanm gangs to their list of sanctioned individuals and entities. Later, on July 21, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that anybody supporting or collaborating with Haitian gang leaders connected to Viv Ansanm will be deported from America. This was a few weeks after the US designated the coalition a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). Gena Heraty Originally from Carrarevaugh near Westport, Ms Heraty graduated with honours from University of Limerick with a Business Studies degree in 1991. Her first job was as a volunteer with the Simon Community in Dublin. It is, she later recalled, where she became interested in the overseas voluntary work of Our Little Brothers and Sisters charity. What started as a six-month placement in Haiti in June 1993 turned into a lifetime commitment. Gena recalled in a Facebook post during the covid pandemic how, when she was growing up in Ireland, she was well used to rain. While she remembered it rained 'almost every day' on the west coast of Ireland, she never associated it with tragedy. That changed when she moved to Haiti, and she recalled how - the minute it starts raining - her first thought is her hope that no one dies. 'To understand, you have to picture reality,' she wrote. 'In Haiti, gullies or canals are filled with rubbish - plastic bottles, old sandals, old clothes, tyres, styrofoam plates. Some are filled with sand and gravel, washed down from previous rains. 'When it rains, there is no place for the run-off water to go. Off it goes, sailing down the roads in the rivers of rain waters - sandals, broken baskets, dirty diapers, fridge-freezers - all floating down the streets, dragging with them any poor person caught up in the raging torrents. 'Not only do people die but mud, dirty water and all kinds of rubbish end up in the homes of the poorest of the poor.' The floods brought on by rain weren't her only concern in the post. 'Apart from the rain, we are all living in a Haiti that is very, very insecure,' she wrote. 'Brutal assassinations, people in the poorer areas being terrorised by gangs. 'The gangs are highly armed. Young kids with machine guns. When I chat with our staff, I come away feeling so sad because every day they live with the stress of insecurity." She urged readers of the post to stay positive. 'Never underestimate the value of a kind word or a big smile, and always look for ways to make life easier for someone else,' she wrote. We are all one big human family and we need to protect every member of the family. 'Don't buy into the 'us and them' mentality being promoted all over the world. 'The day you focus on all that we all have in common with each other, will be the day you realise there is no 'us and them'.' Recalling her childhood back in Ireland, she added: 'In our house, we grew up on the motto 'treat others as you would like them to treat you'. 'Nothing wrong with that motto. Nothing at all.'
