Armed men in Haiti’s capital seize a top security official in rare high-level abduction - BERITAJA

Armed men successful Haiti person kidnapped James Boyard, furniture head of the Defense Ministry and a highly respected information master who besides serves arsenic inspector wide of Haiti’s police, a personification pinch the knowledge of the business said Saturday.

He is the highest-ranking charismatic to beryllium kidnapped successful the gang-wracked Caribbean state successful caller years.

A personification pinch knowledge of the business who was not authorized to speak publically about the lawsuit confirmed the kidnapping to The Associated Press connected Saturday.

Local media reported that Boyard was seized Thursday successful Bourdon, 1 of the fewer areas successful Port-au-Prince that is considered comparatively safe. An estimated 70% of the superior is controlled by a powerful pack conjugation known arsenic Viv Ansanm, which the U.S. designated arsenic a overseas violent statement successful May past year.

Boyard, who is besides a governmental scientist, was tasked pinch helping rebuild Haiti’s equipped forces and has helped measure Haiti’s National Police to instrumentality reforms.

It was not clear who kidnapped him aliases whether a ransom has been requested.

“A personification of this rank intelligibly has a reasonably important information detail,” said Diego Da Rin, an expert pinch the International Crisis Group.

He said the abduction of Boyard perchance suggests the kidnapping was planned pinch awesome item and mightiness person depended connected the collaboration of personification adjacent to his information detail.

Da Rin said kidnappings are progressively occurring successful areas of Port-au-Prince erstwhile considered safe, pinch pack members sometimes donning constabulary uniforms and stopping drivers arsenic portion of clone operations.

He noted that gangs person been kidnapping group pinch double nationalities and targeting nationalist officials. That could mean they are seeking higher ransoms and perchance trying to dissuade authorities from attacking definite gang-controlled territories wherever kidnapping victims are being held, Da Rin said.

Police precocious person attacked Village de Dieu, which is controlled by the 5 Segond gang, led by Johnson Andre. Best known arsenic “Izo,” he is considered 1 of Haiti’s about powerful pack leaders.

Da Rin noted that gangs person been taking immoderate kidnapping victims to Village de Dieu.

High-profile kidnappings successful caller years person targeted group including Haitian journalists and world missionaries. At slightest 267 group were reported kidnapped from December 2025 to February 2026, about of them men, according to a U.N. report. In 2025, 1,268 kidnappings were reported, a about 40% driblet from the 2,058 kidnapping reported the erstwhile year, the study stated.