Gangs in Haiti, such as the one holding a group of American and Canadian missionaries for ransom, have become so powerful that they now challenge the government for control of as much as two-thirds of the country’s territory, according to human rights groups and analysts.

The brazen daylight kidnapping this past weekend of the group of 17 people, including five children, is the latest sign that gangs are turning into the Haitian equivalent of Somali warlords while making large parts of the country of more than 11 million people into no-go zones.

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