Haitian gang members charged with missionaries’ kidnapping

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice has charged seven Haitian gang leaders with kidnapping numerous U.S. citizens, including Christian missionaries and five children. The missionaries were among 16 people held captive for 61 days in the fall of 2021. The Department of State on Monday announced a $1 million reward for each of the three gang members charged in those abductions. The Justice Department also announced charges Monday against four leaders of three other Haitian gangs who prosecutors say kidnapped other U.S. citizens in the country. The United Nations estimates that gangs control about 60% of the capital, Port-au-Prince. They are fighting for territory in the wake of the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.