OTTAWA -- Global Affairs will not confirm whether one of the two missionaries freed from kidnappers in Haiti is the Canadian among the group.
On Sunday, Christian Aid Ministries said two of the 17 missionaries kidnapped in Haiti on Oct. 16 were released, though the organization could not give the names, why they were freed or any other information.
The kidnapped group includes 16 U.S. citizens and one Canadian, five of whom are children.
On Monday, Global Affairs Canada could not confirm the status of the Canadian citizen.
“Canada takes this situation very seriously and continues to collaborate with Haitian and American policing authorities, as well as implicated NGOs, on this incident,” a spokesperson for the agency wrote in an emailed statement to CTVNews.ca.
“Due to the provisions of the Privacy Act, no further information can be disclosed.”
The Haitian gang known as the 400 Mawozo have claimed responsibility for the kidnappings and are demanding US$1 million per person for their release. It is unclear whether that figure includes the children.
On Nov. 12, Canada temporarily withdrew non-essential staff from its embassy in Haiti due to a rise in gang violence in the country.
With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press
