Two of the 17 foreign missionaries kidnapped by a notorious street gang in Haiti last month have been released, Ohio-based Christian Aid Missionaries said Sunday.

       “Only limited information can be provided, but we are able to report that the two hostages who were released are safe, in good spirits, and being cared for,” the group said in a statement posted to its website. “We praise God for this!”

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       The Oct. 16 kidnappings of the missionaries and family members thrust the poverty-stricken Caribbean nation once more into the center of an international crisis. The group included 16 Americans and a Canadian. Authorities from the United States and Canada have said they are working closely with Haitian counterparts to secure their freedom.

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       The gang, 400 Mawozo, demanded $1 million per person held. The United States does not pay ransoms for kidnapped citizens.

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       For Haitians rich and poor, gang violence and kidnapping for ransoms have become commonplace. The country is suffering a surge in abductions that analysts say is the worst in the country’s history.

       400 Mawozo has gained notoriety in Haiti for its use of mass kidnappings and abducting groups such as Christian clergy that were previously considered off-limits.

       Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, has the world’s highest rate of kidnappings per capita.

       Read more:

       American missionaries and family members kidnapped in Haiti by ‘400 Mawozo’ gang, groups say

       Who is 400 Mawozo, the Haitian gang accused of kidnapping American missionaries?

       Abductions by the busload: Haitians are being held hostage by a surge in kidnappings