Haiti priest recounts abduction by gang holding missionaries

SAN JUAN – The Rev. Jean-Nicaisse Milien felt the chill tube of a weapon against his close ear.

The Haitian clergyman and 9 different radical had conscionable been kidnapped portion driving done the outskirts of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, successful aboriginal April. It was astir 7 a.m. and they were en way to observe the installation of a chap pastor astatine a adjacent parish erstwhile 15 to 20 pack members brandishing dense weapons surrounded their car.

“Go here! Go here!” the gunmen commanded arsenic they pulled implicit the car.

It was the 400 Mawozo gang, the aforesaid radical that kidnapped 17 missionaries from a U.S. spiritual enactment connected Oct. 16 arsenic they drove to an orphanage. That group, which includes 5 children, the youngest 8-months-old, is inactive being held for ransom amid decease threats.

Milien spoke to The Associated Press Tuesday, describing the ordeal helium and his 9 companions — 2 nuns, 4 chap priests and 3 relatives — endured astatine the hands of their captors.

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After seizing them connected April 11, the gunmen blindfolded him and the others, Milien said, and drove until they reached a dilapidated location wherever they slept connected a ungraded level for days.

“We did our necessities connected the ground,” helium recalled. “It was truly difficult.”

Milien and the others were kept blindfolded for 2 days and fed lone atom and bread, washed down with Coca-Cola.

On the archetypal day, pack members demanded the radical manus implicit telephone numbers of their relatives. The gunmen made calls demanding $1 cardinal per caput — the aforesaid ransom they made for the missionaries kidnapped past month.

On the 4th day, the pack released 1 idiosyncratic and moved Milien and the others to a smaller house. After 2 weeks, they released 3 more, but not Milien. He and the remaining 5 captives were moved to yet different abandoned house.

“That past week, it was precise difficult,” helium recalled, saying they received nary nutrient and hardly immoderate water.

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On their mode to the 3rd location, the pack person told them: “Here, we don’t person immoderate food, immoderate hospital, immoderate house. We don’t person anything, but we person a cemetery.”

Milien took that arsenic a decease menace and doubled down. “I told them, ‘Continue to pray,’” helium said helium told his chap captives. “One day, we volition beryllium free.”

Eventually Milien and the 5 others were released aft an undisclosed ransom magnitude was paid.

Their state came via a sound connected the doorway connected the 20th time of their captivity. It was 11 p.m.

“Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Let’s go!” Milien recalled a pack subordinate yelling.

The group, successful its weakened state, walked respective yards (meters) to a car that took them to their neighborhood. Milien spent astir a week successful the hospital, receiving medicine and vitamins arsenic helium tried to regain his strength.

Months later, Milien inactive receives intelligence help.

“It is not easy. Every clip we retrieve something. Every clip we deliberation astir something. ... It is simply a portion of my life,” helium said.

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His proposal to the families of the 16 Americans, 1 Canadian and their Haitian driver, who stay captive, is to ne'er suffer anticipation arsenic helium prays for their release.

“I cognize the acquisition is not easy,” helium said.

As helium spoke, the rat-tat-tat of gunfire from a adjacent assemblage controlled by different pack rang out.

“We person to bash something. The authorities has to bash thing due to the fact that we cannot stay successful this situation,” Milien said.

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AP lensman Matias Delacroix successful Port-au-Prince, Haiti, contributed to this story.

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