PORT-AU-PRINCE — Armed men in Haiti have kidnapped the defence minister’s chief of staff, marking the highest-ranking official abduction in the violence-wracked Caribbean nation in recent years. Top security official James Boyard, who also serves as inspector general of Haiti’s police, was seized in the capital Port-au-Prince on Thursday.
Both the Associated Press and the New York Times confirmed the abduction via sources. The New York Times added that Boyard’s wife and six-year-old daughter were also taken. A ransom has been demanded, according to the newspaper, citing a person familiar with the case.
Boyard, a highly respected security expert, is chief of staff to Mario Andrésol, who was appointed in March. Boyard was tasked with assisting in the rebuilding of Haiti’s armed forces.
Diego Da Rin, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, told AP that kidnappings are increasingly occurring in areas of Port-au-Prince once considered safe. He noted that gang members have been targeting individuals with dual nationalities and public officials, possibly to seek higher ransoms or to dissuade authorities from attacking gang-controlled areas where hostages are held.
Gang violence has ravaged the Caribbean country for years, and the multinational police force deployed to contain it has struggled to enter areas under gang control. So far this year, gang-related violence has resulted in at least 2,310 deaths, 1,106 injuries, and 99 kidnappings, according to the United Nations earlier this month. The violence has also caused record displacement, with nearly 1.5 million people left homeless, according to the latest figures from the UN migration agency.
