Latest news with #Kenscoff
Irish Times
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Pope Leo calls for release of Gena Heraty and eight others kidnapped in Haiti
Pope Leo XIV has called for the immediate release of nine hostages, including Irish woman Gena Heraty , saying the situation in Haiti has become 'increasingly desperate.' Ms Heraty, originally from Co Mayo, was taken by a gang with eight others, including a three-year-old child, on August 3rd in Kenscoff, Port-au-Prince. The missionary aged in her 50s, who has lived in Haiti since 1993, was abducted from the Sainte-Hélène orphanage, which she oversees, run by Nos Petits Frères et Soeurs (NPFS, Our Little Brothers and Sisters). Speaking after the Sunday Angelus prayer in St Peter's Square on Sunday, Pope Leo described the circumstances faced by the Haitian people as 'increasingly desperate'. READ MORE 'There are constant reports of murders, violence of all kinds, human trafficking, forced exile, and kidnappings. 'I make a heartfelt appeal to all responsible to release the hostages immediately, and I ask for the concrete support of the international community in creating social and institutional conditions that will allow Haitians to live in peace,' he said. Pope Leo XIV described the situation for Haitians as increasingly desperate amid unchecked gang violence. Photograph:The abduction comes during a period of crisis in Haiti, where 1.3 million people are displaced by violence. Earlier this summer, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said this crisis has 'plummeted to a new low' as gangs extend their reach, carrying out killings, rapes and kidnappings. In the first five months of this year, 316 people were kidnapped for ransom, according to United Nations figures, while 2,680 were killed. It is believed the gang who led the kidnapping of Ms Heraty are associates of the Viv Ansanm group, one of two major crime syndicates in Haiti sanctioned by the United Nations last month. Contact has previously been made between NPFS and the gang through intermediaries. Efforts are ongoing to secure the safe return of the hostages with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris saying last week that different avenues at both political and diplomatic levels 'continue to be exhausted'.
CTV News
5 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Haiti prepares for new leadership as gunfire erupts and gangs threaten to overthrow government
Police officers patrol the area near the Saint-Helene orphanage in the Kenscoff neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Aug. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph) PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A wealthy businessman was slated to become president of Haiti's transitional presidential council on Thursday, marking the first time that the private sector is in control of the country's two executive branches. The change in command further threatened to destabilize the country as a powerful gang federation that has long denounced Haiti's oligarchs pledged to overthrow the government hours before the swearing-in. 'People of Haiti, take care of yourselves and help us…in the battle to free the country,' Jimmy Chérizier, best known as Barbecue and a leader of Viv Ansanm, said in a video posted on social media. Wearing a bulletproof vest and with an automatic rifle slung around his shoulder, Chérizier rattled off the names of several neighborhoods, asking that residents give them free passage to reach the council's office. Gunfire erupted in parts of the capital by dawn as normally congested streets remained empty and quiet across Port-au-Prince. Laurent Saint-Cyr was expected to be sworn-in at the council's heavily guarded office as part of a rotating presidency. He is one of nine council members and represents the private sector. Saint-Cyr previously served as president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Haiti and of the country's Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He'll be working with Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, a one-time president of an internet company in Haiti and also a former president of the country's Chamber of Commerce and Industry. A growing number of people have grumbled about Haiti's private sector leading the country. Some of Haiti's wealthy elites and powerful politicians have long been accused of financing and arming dozens of gangs. As the country prepared for the swearing in, Haitians posted a flurry of warnings about violence in hopes that people could remain safe. 'Those of you in the capital, you will hear gunshots both ahead of you and behind you. Remain on guard!' one message stated. Tripotay Lakay, a local news site, reported that one person was killed and another injured while driving into Port-au-Prince on Thursday. It wasn't immediately clear what led to the killing. A video posted on social media showed a woman's body slumped in the car. Violence also was reported in Kenscoff, a once peaceful farming area located above the hills of Port-au-Prince. A UN-backed mission led by Kenyan police reported that it lost two armored vehicles during a security patrol in the area in the pre-dawn hours. It wasn't immediately clear if anyone was killed or injured in that incident. Videos posted on social media showed suspected gang members laughing and cheering as they surrounded one of the armored vehicles that was later set on fire. 'Come get it back if you can!' one gunman jeered. Gangs in Kenscoff also recently kidnapped eight people from an orphanage, including an Irish missionary and a 3-year-old child. They remain missing. Gangs control up to 90 per cent of Haiti's capital, with violence surging in the aftermath of the July 2021 killing of President Jovenel Moïse. Ongoing violence has displaced more than 1.3 million people in recent years. At least 1,520 people were killed and more than 600 injured from April to the end of June across Haiti. More than 60 per cent of the killings and injuries occurred during operations by security forces against gangs, with another 12 per cent blamed on self-defense groups, according to the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti. Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico Evens Sanon And Dánica Coto, The Associated Press
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Haitian gang holding Mayo woman Gena Heraty hostage makes ransom demand
The criminal gang holding Irish woman Gena Heraty and others hostage in Haiti has made a ransom demand, The Irish Times understands. The payment of money has been raised during conversations between the gang members and two people speaking on behalf of Nos Petits Frères et Soeurs (NPFS, Our Little Brothers and Sisters), the organisation for which Ms Heraty works. While it was unclear precisely how much had been demanded, it was a significant sum far beyond the resources of NPFS. It is understood the gang members have been told the demand was completely unrealistic. As the ransom being sought is so large, Ms Heraty's colleagues have been told by NPFS that any significant progress in releasing the hostages was unlikely over the next few days. READ MORE Ms Heraty's family, based in Westport, Co Mayo, was being kept informed of developments by the Department of Foreign Affairs . Ms Heraty, a missionary who is director of the Sainte-Hélène orphanage run by NPFS in Kenscoff, has lived in Haiti since 1993. She was taken with seven others, including a three-year-old child, on Sunday from an orphanage. Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris raised Ms Heraty's case with the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Kaja Kallas. Arising from the conversation on Tuesday evening, an EU diplomat based in Haiti will be the point of contact in the case. [ Kidnapped Irish woman Gena Heraty will be 'trying to negotiate her way out', says employer Opens in new window ] 'This is an important development, ensuring that this case is firmly on the agenda of the European Union and our EU colleagues,' Mr Harris said. Furthermore, 'different avenues at both political and diplomat level continue to be exhausted' in a bid to free the hostages. Irish diplomats in Dublin, Washington DC and London had already been engaged in efforts to establish local contacts who could help resolve the situation. Since the kidnapping in the early hours of Sunday, at least two people have spoken directly to the gang, including to its leader, on behalf of NPFS. Those two intermediaries have forensic knowledge of Haitian society and the crime gangs who control most of the country, where law and order has broken down. The two negotiators are also very familiar with the area of Kenscoff, where the kidnapping occurred and which is about 10km outside the capital, Port-au-Prince. [ Gena Heraty 'dedicated her life to supporting the most vulnerable' Opens in new window ] Jessica Mullins, chairwoman of the board of trustees for NPH Ireland, the charity's Irish branch, said while Ms Heraty had great resilience, there's 'no doubt there's also an element of fear there'. She said Ms Heraty would be 'putting on a brave face', not just for herself but for everybody else, and would probably be 'trying to negotiate her way out'. There is a long record of kidnappings on Haiti, including of humanitarian aid workers and clerics. Many cases have been resolved with the release of hostages, sometimes after they had spent months being held captive. However, the crime gang behind the kidnapping of Ms Heraty and her group is believed to be linked to Viv Ansanm, a coalition of crime gangs working together to secure control of territory in Haiti from the state. Viv Ansanm has been declared a terrorist organisation by the United States, which regards it as a threat to US national security. The Haitian crime group has also been sanctioned by the United Nations , EU and US. The UN has linked Viv Ansanm to hundreds of deaths during attacks late last year and earlier this year as it sought to take control of communities including Kenscoff. Ms Heraty is from Westport, Co Mayo, and is one of 11 siblings. In a statement, the family described themselves as 'absolutely devastated'. If Ms Heraty and the others in her group were not freed soon, the Government could create of an 'emergency consular assistance team' (ECAT) to boost efforts to secure their freedom. These are teams comprised of experienced Irish diplomats, protected by Defence Forces personnel. They could be deployed to Haiti to co-ordinate local release efforts as has previously been done to assist Irish citizens in Iraq, Sudan and Afghanistan.
BBC News
7 days ago
- BBC News
Gena Heraty: 'Please release her' - charity appeals to kidnappers
A trustee of the board of NPH Ireland has appealed to the kidnappers of Irish missionary Gena Heraty to release Brennan described her as an "inspirational", "resilient", and "tough person" who wrote Heraty, who is originally from Westport in County Mayo, is the facility's director of an orphanage in Haiti, and was among several people taken in Kenscoff, near Haiti's capital, on Sunday morning, according to mayor Massillon Brennan has appealed "to everybody out there to do anything that they can to release Gena and all of the others". Ms Heraty oversees the orphanage, which is run by the humanitarian organisation Nos Petits Frères Et Soeurs (Our Little Brothers And Sisters).It is in the commune of Kenscoff, about 10km (6.2 miles) southeast of the capital, broke into the orphanage at about 15:30 local time (07:30 GMT) "without opening fire", Mayor Massillon Jean said, describing it as a "planned act".The attackers had broken through a wall to enter the property, Jean said, before heading to the building where Ms Heraty was staying. 'Gena would have known the dangers' Mr Brennan told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster Programme that "everybody in the area would know her, they know her as Madam Gena"."Yes Gena would have known of the dangers, and we had discussed this before, but this is now her life's work, and she would feel she certainly cannot abandon the children with who she was working - they're her family," he said."We appeal to everybody out there to do anything that they can to release Gena and all of the others and that little child. "We appeal to them to their own humanity - please, please, the work that Gena is doing is so important for your community, please release her," Mr Brennan said. Gang members are thought to be responsible for the attack, Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste has violence and kidnappings are also common in other areas in and around Port-au-Prince, where the UN says armed groups control about 85% of the the first half of 2025, UN figures show that almost 350 people were kidnapped in Haiti. At least 3,141 people were also killed in the same period, the UN Human Rights Office said.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ireland calls for hostages' release after gunmen storm Haiti orphanage
PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) -Ireland's Foreign Ministry called on Tuesday on Haitian authorities to ensure "everything is done" to secure the release of a group of people, including an Irish missionary and a 3-year-old child, taken by gunmen who stormed a local orphanage. Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris spoke with his Haitian counterpart overnight, the government said in a statement, during which they agreed to stay in touch on their work to ensure the group is released, including missionary Gena Heraty. "It is imperative that she is released immediately," Harris said separately on social media. The attacks took place over the weekend when gunmen stormed the orphanage in Kenscoff, a mountainous community on the outskirts of the capital Port-au-Prince that has been under deadly attacks by armed gangs since the start of this year. Father Richard Frechette, who works with Nos Petits Freres et Soeurs, the international charity that runs the orphanage, told Reuters a total of eight people had been kidnapped including the 3-year-old boy, six staff members and Heraty, who heads special needs programs at the orphanage. "We have not yet been able to reach a ransom agreement to free them," he said. "We hope for their fast and safe return," the charity added on social media. "Our commitment to the Haitian people remains as strong as ever." Armed gangs have in recent years targeted a number of religious, charitable and medical aid groups, including hospitals, NGOs, nuns and priests from congregations based in and around the capital, as well as foreign missionaries. A recent report by the U.N. office in Haiti (BINUH) found the situation remained "very volatile" in Kenscoff while gangs intensified and expanded their attacks in central Haiti and the agricultural Artibonite region. BINUH considers Kenscoff of "major strategic importance" as it overlooks the suburb of Petion-Ville, one of the capital's last hold-outs and the site of multiple embassies, banking institutions and hotels serving as diplomatic meeting places. Over 3,100 people were killed and 336 kidnapped for ransom in the first half of this year in Haiti, according to BINUH estimates, as the number of residents displaced by the extended conflict with the powerful gangs - largely grouped behind a coalition called Viv Ansanm - nearly doubled to 1.3 million. Haitian authorities have repeatedly called for more resources to fight the gangs. A partially deployed and deeply under-equipped U.N.-backed mission kicked off over a year ago but has had little effect in slowing gangs' advances.
