Kidnapping of senior Haitian official

Armed men have kidnapped the chief of staff of Haiti's defense minister and the chief superintendent of the local police, James Boyard, the Associated Press reported today, citing an unnamed source.

Boyar, a highly respected security expert, is the highest-ranking official to be kidnapped in this Caribbean country that has been ravaged by gangs in recent years.

Local media reported that Boyar was kidnapped on Thursday in Bourdon, one of the few areas in the capital Port-au-Prince that is considered relatively safe.

An estimated 70 percent of the capital is controlled by a powerful coalition of gangs known as Viv Ansanm, which the US designated as a foreign terrorist organization in May last year.

Boyar was tasked with helping rebuild Haiti's armed forces and helped assess the implementation of reforms to the Haitian National Police.

It is not known who kidnapped him or whether a ransom was demanded.

“A person of this rank obviously has pretty good security,” said Diego Da Rin, an analyst with the International Crisis Group.

He said that Boyar's kidnapping was likely planned in great detail and may have depended on the cooperation of someone close to his security.

Da Rin said kidnappings are increasingly occurring in areas of Port-au-Prince that were once considered safe, with gang members sometimes donning police uniforms and stopping drivers.

He said gangs are kidnapping people with dual citizenship and public servants.

Da Rin believes this could mean that the kidnappers are demanding higher ransoms and are trying to deter authorities from attacking specific gang-controlled territories where kidnapping victims are being held.

Police recently raided the Village de Dieu, which is run by the Sanc Segond gang, led by Johnson Andre, known as Izo.

He is considered one of the most powerful gang leaders in Haiti.

Da Rin mentioned that gangs are taking some kidnapping victims to Village de Dieu.

Among the high-profile kidnappings in recent years have been Haitian journalists and international missionaries.

According to a UN report, at least 267 kidnappings were reported from December 2025 to February 2026, most of them of men.

In 2025, 1.268 kidnappings were reported, a drop of almost 40 percent from the 2.058 kidnappings reported the previous year, the report said.