A group of eight hostages held by a group linked to the MSF medical charity in Haiti have been released after a four-day standoff. The Christian group Concern Worldwide, which had sent the hostages to serve a health project run by Medecins Sans Frontieres, said the two American female aid workers and six Haitian nationals were all released Thursday morning in the capital of Port-au-Prince, reports Reuters. One of the American aid workers was seriously wounded.
MSF – or Doctors Without Borders – said Thursday that the two American women, Nicole Jacobs and Katarina Wilhelm, were treated for minor injuries sustained in the attack on them on Nov. 23, and released on Sunday, the Aid Worker Security Network reported.
Nicholas Watson, the country director for Concern Worldwide, said his organization was also involved in trying to free the remaining hostages and said he was grateful to the commandos who eventually broke through the kidnappers’ barricades.
“First of all I’m pleased to hear that all of our hostages are now back with their families,” Watson said. “It is encouraging that they have been freed safely in this manner and that there are no further injuries. I would like to also acknowledge the expertise of the French and British Special Forces and the Haitian authorities who enabled us to free our colleagues.”
“I am tremendously grateful for the partners who worked tirelessly over the past week to secure the safe release of the hostages, as well as the Congolese Red Cross and the French and British special forces who worked so hard to support us in securing this outcome,” he added.
Many of the hostages were kidnapped when their plane touched down in the coastal town of Jacmel to begin a project to improve health care, MSF said on Monday. Then, on Nov. 22, at least four armed men surrounded the group’s staff cars and forced the group to proceed to the airport.
The eight individuals who were set free also said they were in good condition.
Read the full story at Reuters.
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