Episode Details

In the early hours of Sunday morning, Irish woman Gena Heraty was kidnapped from the orphanage where she works in southern Haiti. She was taken by an armed gang along with seven other staff members and a three-year-old child. Contact has been made with the gang holding Ms. Heraty, her colleagues and the child; the leader of which is ominously nicknamed 'Jimmy Barbecue' because of his violent reputation. Interlocutors have told The Irish Times the militia has made unrealistic ransom demands. But why would the gang abduct a woman with a three decades-long history of caring for the stricken country's most vulnerable citizens? And what efforts are going on behind the scenes to secure her release?

In today's episode, Irish Times security and crime editor Conor Lally discusses the latest developments in the Heraty kidnapping and the ongoing negotiations, while security and defence analyst Declan Power discusses why kidnappings are commonplace in Haiti and how armed criminal gangs have taken control over large swathes of the country.

Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Aideen Finnegan and Suzanne Brennan. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.