An additional three kidnap victims who were part of a group of 17 American and Canadian missionaries abducted in Haiti six weeks ago have been freed.
The announcement was made by their church group Christian Aid Ministries on Monday.
No information on the newly-released missionaries identities have been given, although they're said to be in good health and good spirits.
Christian Aid has also refused to comment on the circumstances surrounding their release - including whether a ransom was paid.
The missionaries and family members, a group of 16 Americans and one Canadian, were abducted while returning from an orphanage in an area east of the capital Port-au-Prince controlled by one of Haiti's most powerful crime gangs.
Two of them were released in November, leaving 12 currently still in captivity.
Christian Aid Ministries, which is based in the US state of Ohio, has said the hostages were 12 adults aged 18 to 48, and five children ranging in age from eight months to 15 years.
Three more of the 17 American and Canadian missionaries kidnapped in Haiti in October have been freed, their church group Christian Aid Ministries confirmed. Two other members were released last month (Pictured: People protest for the release of kidnapped missionaries near the missionaries' headquarters in Titanyen, north of Port-au-Prince, Haiti)
Twelve people remain in captivity after being kidnapped while leaving an orphanage in Haiti
The notorious '400 Mawozo' gang was behind the October 16 kidnapping and have since demanded a ransom of one million dollars per head (Pictured: People protest against kidnappings and a fuel crisis in Haiti in November 2021)
'Please continue to intercede for those who are still being held as well as those who have been released,' Christian Aid Ministries said Monday. 'We long for all the hostages to be reunited with their loved ones.'
'We are thankful to God that three more hostages were released last night,' the church group said in a statement, noting the three 'are safe and seem to be in good spirits.'
The group did not provide further details on their identities or age, or how they were released.
The missionaries were abducted from a bus headed to the airport to drop off some members of the group before continuing to another destination in Haiti, a report by the New York Times stated, citing security officials from the crisis-engulfed Caribbean nation.
The gang '400 Mawozo' was behind the October 16 kidnapping and had demanded a ransom of one million dollars per head.
It is unclear whether a ransom was paid for any of the five hostages who’ve since been released, both the US and Canadian governments have said they do not pay ransoms for kidnapped citizens.
Dan Hooley, a former director for the Christian Aid Ministries group, said that some of the missionaries had not been in Haiti for long.
The gang's leader, Wilson Joseph, aka Lanmò San Jou or 'Death Without Days' (center) is wanted on numerous charges including murder, attempted murder, kidnapping and auto theft
Hundreds of people have been kidnapped for ransom since January in Haiti, according to the Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights
One family had lived there for 'a couple of months,' he told The Times, and another man had arrived on Friday to work on a relief project related to an earthquake that struck in August.
He described Christian Aid Ministries as 'the big dog in the mission world,' capable of importing containers full of medicines into Haiti whereas others 'just can't get it done.'
The group was founded in 1981 'to be a trustworthy and efficient channel for Amish, Mennonite, and other conservative Anabaptist groups and individuals to minister to physical and spiritual needs around the world.'
It reported a revenue of more than $130 million in 2019, largely through donations, and operates in 126 countries.
A person familiar with the situation claimed one of the abducted Americans posted a cry for help in a WhatsApp group as the kidnapping was occurring.
'Please pray for us!! We are being held hostage, they kidnapped our driver. Pray pray pray. We don't know where they are taking us,' the abductee wrote.
FBI agents, Haitian authorities and the anti-kidnapping unit of the national police have been negotiating with the kidnappers.
The FBI later confirmed its role in a statement to Reuters, saying: 'The FBI is part of a coordinated U.S. government effort to get the Americans involved to safety.'
'We're continuing to work at the highest levels... to do everything we can to see to it that the remaining hostages are released as soon as possible,' said US State Department spokesman Ned Price.
Since December 2020, Haitian police have sought the gang's leader, Wilson Joseph, aka Lanmò San Jou or 'Death Without Days' for crimes including assassination, kidnapping, vehicle theft and hijacking of cargo trucks.
Authorities said they were trying to negotiate with Joly 'Yonyon' Germine, a jailed gang member considered to be the second-in-command of 400 Mawozo.
The widely-feared group, whose name loosely translates to '400 inexperienced men,' is responsible for approximately 80 per cent of the kidnappings in Haiti and is often associated with 'collective kidnappings' in which they abduct entire cars or buses of people.
Wilson, who is wanted by Haitian police on numerous charges including murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, auto theft and the hijacking of trucks carrying goods, is known for touting the gang's crimes on social media.
Members are known to use rape, assassination and abduction, among other methods, to maintain their hold on Haiti's streets, businesses and power players.
Christian Aid Ministries reported a revenue of more than $130 million in 2019, largely through donations, and operates in 126 countries
Christian Aid Missionaries' balance sheet shows the group has $87 million in assets as of December 2020
The US State Department travel advisory warns US citizens to avoid visiting the Caribbean nation, noting 'kidnapping is widespread and victims regularly include US citizens.'
Previously confined to the poorer districts of the capital, gangs have recently extended their reach and increased the number of kidnappings, as the country, already struggling with a yearslong social and economic crisis, was hit by a presidential assassination and a major earthquake.
Hundreds of people have been kidnapped for ransom since January in Haiti, according to the Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights (CARDH).
In April, 10 people, including two French clerics, were kidnapped and held for 20 days by 400 Mawozo in the same region.
Haiti has been rocked by repeated tragedies over the last 12 months. Its former president Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his palace in Port-au-Prince in July, and the island was rocked by an earthquake in August that killed more than 2,200 people.
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