Haitian police were able to secure the release of the remaining 12 hostages out of a group of 17 people whose bus was seized after visiting an orphanage by the 400 Mazowo gang in October. The gang had initially demanded $17,000,000 USD for all of the hostages, which included children. Five victims had already been released by the gang prior. US law enforcement were also involved in the search for the kidnapping victims. No details have been given on whether a ransom was paid in order to secure their release and the whereabouts of the hostages’ former driver is still unknown. Haiti has been suffering from a spate of kidnappings this year with a noticeable uptick after the brazen assassination of former Haitian president Jovenel Moïse by Colombians.