Dominican diplomat released four days after being kidnapped in Haiti

A diplomat from the Dominican Republic who was kidnapped in Haiti by a gang and kept for four days was released on Tuesday, according to the country’s Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez.

Álvarez said Carlos Guillén, an attaché for the Dominican embassy, was “safe and sound”.

“We thank everyone who actively participated in his release,” the minister wrote on Twitter, although he did not give details.

Guillén was abducted last Friday through the Croix-des-Bouquets area on his way to the Dominican border city of Jimaní.

The 400 Mawozo gang is believed to have been responsible for Guillén’s kidnapping as well as several others.

His release came just hours after the gang’s leader, Germine Joly, was extradited to the United States.

Germine Joly, alias Yonyon, was flown from Port-au-Prince to the US on a special FBI flight on Tuesday, following a request from the US on April 22.

An international warrant had been issued for him on charges of kidnapping American citizens and seeking ransom, importation of weapons of war, and conspiracy and violation of the US Export and Contraband Control Reform Act.

He had been incarcerated in Haiti since 2015, accused of kidnapping, kidnapping for ransom, rape, armed robbery, murder, illegal possession of a firearm, and criminal association. It is alleged that he led his gang from prison, planning several kidnappings from his cell.

The 400 Mawozo gang is said to also be responsible for armed conflict that has led to the deaths of civilians in recent days and forced hundreds of Haitians in the Croix-des-Bouquets area, east of the capital, from their homes.

CMC/