An Irish aid worker and seven fellow captives have been released nearly a month after they were kidnapped in Haiti.
Gena Heraty, a missionary who ran the Our Little Brothers and Sisters orphanage in the hills outside Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, was abducted on 3 August along with seven Haitians, including a three-year-old child.
“We are relieved beyond words. We are so deeply grateful to everyone, in Haiti and internationally, who has worked tirelessly over these terrible weeks to help secure their safe return,” her family said in a statement.
Simon Harris, Ireland’s tánaiste (deputy prime minister), celebrated the end of their terrible ordeal in a statement on social media. “We warmly welcome the news that Gena and all of the Haitian nationals taken captive on August 3, including a small child, have been released and are reported to be safe and well,” Harris said.
“This has, of course, been an extraordinarily difficult and stressful situation for the Heraty family. I wish to pay tribute to their resilience and determination to support Gena and her fellow captives over these past difficult weeks,” Harris added, calling Heraty “a respected humanitarian and deeply courageous person who has dedicated her life to supporting the most vulnerable people in Haiti”.
Heraty had reportedly been living in Haiti for 32 years and had been responsible for about 270 children at the orphanage in Kenscoff.
Haiti has been thrust into a seemingly interminable spiral of violence since February last year when politically connected and heavily armed gangs launched a coordinated uprising against the government. Criminal groups now control virtually the entire capital and a UN-backed policing mission has failed to stop gang foot-soldiers rampaging across the Caribbean city.
The situation has become so dire that authorities have resorted to using armed drones and recruiting foreign mercenaries in an attempt to win back control of the city.
Ireland’s department of foreign affairs strongly advises its citizens not to visit the Caribbean country as a result of the “extremely volatile” security situation. “There are frequent clashes between gangs and security forces. Kidnappings, robberies, and violent crime are prevalent,” its website warns.
According to the Irish Independent, Heraty’s group was abducted after armed attackers stormed the building at about 3.30am on a Sunday morning.
“They broke through a wall to enter the property before heading to the building where the director was staying, leaving with nine hostages,” the local mayor said at the time. Some reports claimed the kidnappers were part of Viv Ansanm (Live Together), the criminal coalition that rose up last year, plunging Haiti’s capital into chaos.
