People gather in front of the San Francisco Federal Building on Friday to protest against the US' arbitrary deportation of thousands of Haitian refugees, which started on September 19. US special envoy for Haiti Daniel Foote resigned after the "inhumane, counter-productive" move. Photo: cnsphoto

Three more of the 17 North Americans kidnapped in Haiti in October have been freed, their church group said on Monday.

The missionaries and family members - a group of 16 Americans and one Canadian - were abducted while returning from an orphanage in an area east of the capital Port-au-Prince controlled by one of Haiti's most powerful crime gangs.

Two of them were released in November, leaving 12 currently still in captivity.

Christian Aid Ministries, which is based in the US state of Ohio, has said the hostages were 12 adults aged 18 to 48, and five children ranging in age from 8 months to 15 years.

"We are thankful to God that three more hostages were released last night," the church group said in a statement, noting the three "are safe and seem to be in good spirits."

The group did not provide further details on their identities or age, or how they were released.

The gang "400 Mawozo" was behind the October 16 kidnapping and had demanded a ransom of $1 million per head, sources told AFP.

FBI agents, Haitian authorities and the anti-kidnapping unit of the national police have been negotiating with the kidnappers.

"We're continuing to work at the highest levels... to do everything we can to see to it that the remaining hostages are released as soon as possible," said US State Department spokesman Ned Price.

Since December 2020, Haitian police have sought the gang's leader, Wilson Joseph, for crimes including assassination, kidnapping, vehicle theft and hijacking of cargo trucks.

AFP