Christian Missionaries Who Were Held Captive by Gang in Haiti Reveal How They Escaped

Photo: Christian Aid Ministries

On Monday,Christian Aid Ministries— an Ohio-based missionary group for Amish, Mennonite, and other conservative Anabaptists — announced that all 17 of their kidnapped members had returned to the United States safely.

Christian Aid Ministries

“Two hours were through fierce brambles. We were in gang territory the whole hike,” Showalter told reporters, quoting one of the group’s members.

“They were finally free,” Showalter recalled.

Details of the escape are solely the account of the Christian Aid Ministries members and have not been otherwise verified.

According toBBC, police had been negotiating with 400 Mazowo in recent weeks, and it is unclear whether a ransom had been paid. The outlet adds that kidnapping is one of the primary ways 400 Mazowo acquires money. They had demanded $1 million for each of their missionary hostages.

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In astatement, Christian Aid Ministries General Director David N. Troyer shared a message to the kidnappers, forgiving them for the ordeal.

“We do not know all of the challenges you face. We do believe that violence and oppression of others can never be justified. You caused our hostages and their families a lot of suffering,” Troyer said.

source: people.com