Armed persons kidnapped the chief of staff of the Haitian defense minister and the chief superintendent of the local police, James Boyar, the Associated Press reported today, citing an unnamed source.
Boyar, a highly respected security expert, is the highest-ranking official to be kidnapped in the Caribbean country, which has been ravaged by gangs in recent years.
Local media reported that Boyar was abducted on Thursday in Bourdon, one of the few areas in the capital Port-au-Prince 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 evaluate 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 at the International Crisis Group.
He said that Boyar’s kidnapping was probably planned in great detail and may have depended on the cooperation of someone close to his security.
Da Rin said kidnappings are becoming more common in areas of Port-au-Prince that were once considered safe, with gang members sometimes donning police uniforms and pulling over drivers.
He stated that gangs kidnap people with dual citizenships and public officials.
Da Rin estimates that this could mean the kidnappers are demanding higher ransoms and trying to dissuade the authorities from raiding certain gang-controlled territories where kidnap victims are being held.
Police recently raided the Village de Dieu, which is run by the Sanc Segund gang, led by Johnson Andre, known as Izo.
He is considered one of the most powerful gang leaders in Haiti.
Da Rin mentioned that the gangs were taking some kidnapping victims to the Village de Dieu.
Celebrity kidnappings in recent years have included Haitian journalists and international missionaries.
According to the UN report, from December 2025 to February 2026, at least 267 abductions, mostly of men, were reported.
In 2025, 1,268 kidnappings were reported, which is a drop of almost 40 percent compared to the 2,058 kidnappings reported the previous year, according to the report.
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