Haiti rights group records three-fold rise in kidnappings for early 2023

FILE PHOTO: Police officers take position as they take part in an anti-gang operation amid gang violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti March 3, 2023. REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol/File Photo

(Reuters) - At least 389 kidnappings were registered in Haiti in the first three months of this year, rights group CARDH said on Tuesday, marking a three-fold increase from the last quarter of 2022 as gangs look to recoup losses from international sanctions.

The kidnappings seen between January and March are more than triple the 127 CARDH recorded in the previous quarter, and a 72% increase from the same period a year earlier.