Scores of Petit-Goâve residents erected barricades along the main roads to that town in hopes of keeping kidnappers away, according to a Radio Kiskeya report.
The drastic act came after bandits kidnapped fellow Rocheline Louis Bénêche, the wife of Martial Beneche, the regional health director serving Petit-Goâve and its environs. The protesters said hers was the third such kidnapping of Petit-Goâve residents and demanded an end to the crime.
The protesters said the roads to the south will remain blocked through Wednesday to signal to kidnappers that they will no longer be able to target Petit-Goâve residents. They warned all motorists not to drive to the region Wednesday.
Petit-Goâve is located in the south of Haiti, about 45 miles west of Port-au-Prince and 50 miles east of Petit-Trou-de-Nippes, the epicenter of the devastating Aug. 14 earthquake that killed at least 2,200 people. Many aid and recovery workers and volunteers count on having safe passage through the blocked roads.