Gunmen abduct senior security official in Port-au-Prince
Gunmen have kidnapped James Boyard, chief of staff at the Ministry of Defence and inspector general of Haiti's national police, in Port-au-Prince. This is the highest-ranking official abducted in this Caribbean nation plagued by criminal gangs for several years.
Gunmen abduct senior security official in Port-au-Prince
Armed men have kidnapped James Boyard, chief of staff at the Ministry of Defence and inspector general of Haiti's national police, according to a source close to the matter cited by Barbados Today. This abduction represents the disappearance of the highest-ranking official in this Caribbean nation devastated by gangs in several years.
The source, who was not authorised to speak publicly about the matter, confirmed the abduction to the Associated Press on Saturday. Local media reported that Boyard was intercepted on Thursday in Bourdon, a neighbourhood in Port-au-Prince generally considered relatively safe.
Approximately 70 per cent of the capital remains under the control of Viv Ansanm, a powerful gang coalition that Washington designated as a foreign terrorist organisation in May of last year. Boyard, also a political scientist, worked on the reconstruction of Haiti's armed forces and had participated in the evaluation of the National Police to implement reforms. The identity of the abductors and any possible ransom demand remain unknown.
Diego Da Rin, analyst at the International Crisis Group, remarked that a personality of Boyard's rank normally benefits from considerable protection. He suggested that the operation probably required careful planning and could have benefited from the complicity of someone close to the victim's security entourage.
Da Rin noted that abductions are spreading to areas formerly considered safe, with criminals sometimes wearing police uniforms to set up fake checkpoints. He added that gangs are increasingly targeting dual nationals and public figures, possibly seeking to obtain higher ransoms and to discourage law enforcement from attacking certain controlled territories where hostages are being held.
Authorities recently conducted operations against Village de Dieu, a stronghold of the 5 Segond gang led by Johnson Andre, better known as "Izo", one of Haiti's most influential gang leaders. Da Rin indicated that certain kidnapping victims have been taken there.
Abductions of notable figures have targeted Haitian journalists and foreign missionaries in recent years. A United Nations report documented at least 267 abductions between December 2025 and February 2026, with the majority involving men. The same report recorded 1,268 abductions in 2025, representing a decline of nearly 40 per cent compared with the 2,058 reported in the previous year.
Source: Barbados Today
Source: Barbados Today