Irish Missionary Among Nine Kidnapped from Haitian Orphanage

Nine individuals were abducted from an orphanage near Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, on Sunday, officials confirmed. The group included the Irish director of the facility and a three-year-old child.

The incident occurred at the Sainte-Helene orphanage, located in the commune of Kenscoff, roughly 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) southeast of the capital.

According to Kenscoff Mayor Masillon Jean and a source close to the organisation, the kidnappers broke into the orphanage by breaching a wall before proceeding to the building where the director was residing. They then left with nine hostages, including seven staff members and the young child.

Mayor Jean described the abduction as a “planned act,” noting that the attackers did not open fire during the break-in.

No ransom demands or communications from the kidnappers have been received thus far. However, Heraty reportedly contacted the organisation early on Sunday to confirm she was among those taken, a source close to the group told AFP.

Gena Heraty, who has lived in Haiti since 1993, oversees the orphanage, which provides care for up to 270 children. She is the latest foreign missionary to fall victim to kidnapping in the country.

Previous incidents include:

• April 2021: Two French priests were among ten people abducted in Croix des Bouquets, who were later released after nearly three weeks in captivity.
• The same gang responsible, the “400 Mawazo”, kidnapped 17 American and Canadian missionaries six months later.

Since the beginning of 2024, the commune of Kenscoff has come under pressure from the “Viv Ansanm” (“Living Together”) gang, which has seized control of multiple nearby localities.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that at least 3,141 people were killed in Haiti during the first half of this year. The escalating gang violence continues to pose a grave threat to the stability of the nation.