DR: Haitian rebels kidnapping Dominicanos

A group of between 12 and 36 Dominicans was said to have been kidnapped by Haitians identified as "rebels" by Dominican authorities. Apparently, the kidnapping was in retaliation for the arrest of one of the Haitian rebel leaders from Juana Mendez identified as John Robert, alias "Ovep." While the numbers vary in the Hoy and El Caribe reports, both stories say the armed revolutionaries were demanding the release of Robert, who was jailed along with the Dominican Ivan Garcia, in connection with the murder of two Dominican soldiers patrolling the Haitian border last 14 February. Sources said the Dominican hostages had been transferred to Fort Liberte and that most of the detainees were drivers or businesspeople who had been at the local market in Juana Mendez when abducted. According to El Caribe, some of the victims come from as far away as San Pedro de Marcoris, Mao, Santiago and Santo Domingo.