YouTuber YourFellowArab shows first footage of being kidnapped by Haiti gang

YouTuber ‘YourFellowArab’ has released the first footage from his time being held hostage by a Haitian gang after being released from custody for no ransom in late March.

In March 2024, YouTuber and Twitch streamer Addison Pierre Maalouf, also known as ‘YourFellowArab,’ was reportedly kidnapped by Haiti’s 400 Mawozo gang.

The gang demanded a $600,000 ransom for his release, sparking panic among the influencer’s fans, who worried for his safety amidst the dangerous conditions in Haiti as the country is wracked by gang violence.

After 17 days, the streamer was released for no ransom, claiming he was “kidnapped purely for the color of my skin” and held “in the middle of a Haitian desert 60 minutes away from any civilization in a concrete shack surrounded by barbed wire.”

On April 8, the YouTuber released footage taken from his time in custody for the very first time, revealing the harrowing conditions in which he was kept.

The video shows that he was imprisoned in a concrete building, surrounded by guard dogs in a compound miles away from any other settlement in an area called ‘Croix des Bouquets.’

Arab claims that he was led into the jungle by a group of “corrupt” border guards and UN employees with the goal of interviewing Barbeque, one of Haiti’s most powerful gang leaders who currently controls much of Port-au-Prince and demanded the resignation of the country’s president, who stepped down in March.

However, he claims he was “set up” by BSAP officers and “ambushed” by the 400 Mawazo gang and locked in a trailer “at gunpoint” before being driven out into the desert by the gang’s leader, Lanmò Sanjou.

The video included a snippet of the YouTuber’s conversation with Sanjou, where he demanded the $600,000 ransom. 

The upload is a trailer for a longer documentary series slated to be released “soon,” showing how Arab “befriended” Sanjou to secure his freedom.