Submitted by crinadmin on
[14 December 2006] - A dozen schoolchildren in Haiti have been abducted by gunmen who hijacked a school bus and a car on Wednesday in broad daylight, local media report. One group of children was travelling to school on the private bus when the men stopped it, forced their way aboard and diverted it, local radio reported. Another gang stopped a car carrying four children and two adults, and fled with the car and the children. Kidnappings for ransom have become the top security threat in the country. Both incidents took place in the north of the capital, but it was not immediately clear if they were linked. Haitian police spokesman Frantz Lerebours said it was not known exactly how many children were missing. Mounting insecurity About 10 children have been reported abducted since November, including two who were killed by their captors. One parent told local radio: "We feel disenchanted in front of this upsurge of insecurity. Children are going to school and you do not know if they will come back. "You who take them to school may not return home sometimes as they might abduct either you or the children." Authorities blame the crimes on well-armed street gangs that flourished after a 2004 rebellion overthrew former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. A Brazilian-led UN peacekeeping force has been deployed since then.