The Haiti gang that kidnapped 17 missionaries have released a video threatening to kill all persons kidnapped if their demands are not met.
The video which was posted on social media showed the leader of the 400 Mawozo gang; Wilson Joseph wearing a blue suit, a blue cap and a large cross around his neck saying that if he does not get what he is asking for, he will kill them.
“I swear to the thunder that if I don’t get what I’m asking for, I’ll shoot these Americans in the head,” he said in the video.
He also threatened Prime Minister Ariel Henry and Haiti’s national police chief while speaking in front of open coffins, apparently containing several members of his gang who had recently been killed.
“You guys make me cry. I cry water. But I’m going to make you guys cry with blood,” he said.
On Thursday afternoon, Henry’s office announced that Léon Charles had resigned as chief of the National Police and had been replaced by Frantz Elbe. The newspaper Le Nouveliste said that Elbe was the director of the police departments of the South East and Nippes and previously Jösselerme Privert was provisional president, then served as the National Palace’s general security coordinator.
“We want public peace to be restored, that we return to normal life and that we find our way back to democracy,” Henry said.
Earlier this week, officials said the gang was seeking $1 million per person, though it was not immediately clear whether the group consisted of five children, among them an 8-month-old. Sixteen Americans and one Canadian were abducted along with their Haitian driver.
The missionaries are with Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries, which held a news conference before the video of the gang leader was posted.
Weston Showalter, a spokesman for the religious group, said the families of those abducted are from Amish, Mennonite and other conservative Anabaptist communities in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Ontario, Canada. He read a letter from families who were not identified by name, in which he said, “God has given our loved ones the unique opportunity to live out our God’s command to love our enemies.”
The group invited people to join in prayers for the abductors as well as those who were abducted and expressed their gratitude for the help from “knowledgeable and experienced people” in dealing with such situations.
“Pray for these families,” Showalter said. “They are in a difficult place.”
The organization later issued a statement saying it would not comment on the video until those directly involved in the release of the hostages have determined that the comments will affect the safety and well-being of our employees and family members. will not be in danger.
The gang leader’s death threats added to the already intense concern in and around Holmes County, Ohio, where the Christian Aid Ministry is based and has the nation’s largest concentration of Amish, conservative Mennonite and related groups. Many members of those groups have supported the organization through donations or by volunteering at their warehouse.
“Things like this erase some of the boundaries that exist within our circle,” said Marcus Yoder, executive director of the Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center in Millersburg.
“Many people in the community feel helpless, but they also feel the power of prayer and the power of our historical theology,” he said, including a belief in non-resistance to Anabaptist violence.
We hope the kidnapped missionaries return to their base safely.
