Brian Ellsworth and Gessika Thomas

PORTAU-AU-PRINCE, (Reuters) – When Haitian Prime minister Ariel Henry tried on Sunday to conduct a commemoration of the death of one country’s founder fathers, he and his team were met with a torrent of gunfire which forced him to leave.

This was another sign of growing power for the gangs of the Caribbean country, as they kidnapped on Saturday a group Christian missionaries who were traveling close to the capital Port-au-Prince.

Pierre Esperance, human rights activist and humanitarian said that Gangs feel more comfortable in committing crimes in areas other than the ones they hold.

Esperance, the executive director of National Human Rights Defense Network said that the government, which has been there for the past three months, is powerless against this.

There is no strategy or plan to combat insecurity. “The national police force is not being strengthened.”

The missionary group Christian Aid Ministries stated that sixteen U.S citizens and one Canadian citizen were taken hostage while they visited an orphanage.

The involvement of the 400 Mawozo gang that runs Croix-des-Bouquets commune, 8 miles (13km) outside of the capital is suspected by security experts.

Two nuns and five priests were taken in April from Croix-des-Bouquets. The crime was also connected to 400 Mawozo. They were all released that month.

The ceremony honoring Jean-Jacques Dessalines (Haiti’s declaration of independence from France 1804) was planned for Pont-Rouge. This is the eastern entry to Port-au-Prince where Dessalines died in 1806.

Because of G9 (formerly a police officer Jimmy Cherizier), officials have had difficulty holding the event for many years.

Henry made instead a floral offer at the Museum of the Haitian National Pantheon, in the capital.

Henry’s Cabinet spokesperson did not respond when asked for comments on the ceremony.

This country is in desperate need of help and has seen a rise in kidnappings.

Some 7,000 Haitians tried to reach the United States via Mexico were deported by the United States in late September.

A report from the Haitian Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights or CARDH shows that at least 628 kidnappings were committed in Haiti in the first nine month of 2021. Of these, 29 involved foreigners.

These figures could be much higher, as many Haitians don’t report abductions out of fear for retribution by criminal gangs.

Gedeon Jean, Director of CARDH, stated that “The gangs have been federated,” and they are well-armed. He also said they have more ideology and money. We are moving towards a proto-state. “The gangs are becoming stronger, while the police become weaker.”