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Armed men snatched a highly respected information adept earlier this week successful 1 of the fewer places successful the superior metropolis of Haiti to beryllium considered comparatively safe.
It was not wide who kidnapped the politician, identified arsenic James Boyard, furniture manager of the Defense Ministry and a highly respected information adept who besides serves arsenic inspector wide of Haiti's police, a idiosyncratic with the cognition of the concern said Saturday.
He is the highest-ranking authoritative to beryllium kidnapped successful the gang-wracked Caribbean state successful caller years.
A idiosyncratic with cognition of the concern who was not authorized to talk publically astir the lawsuit confirmed the kidnapping to The Associated Press connected Saturday.
Boyard was seized Thursday successful Bourdon, section media reported, 1 of the fewer areas successful Port-au-Prince that is considered comparatively safe. An estimated 70% of the superior is controlled by a almighty pack conjugation known arsenic Viv Ansanm, which the U.S. designated arsenic a overseas violent enactment successful May past year.
Boyard, who is besides a governmental scientist, was tasked with helping rebuild Haiti's equipped forces and has helped measure Haiti's National Police to instrumentality reforms.
It was not wide whether a ransom has been requested.
"A idiosyncratic of this fertile intelligibly has a reasonably important information detail," said Diego Da Rin, an expert with the International Crisis Group.
He said the abduction of Boyard perchance suggests the kidnapping was planned with large item and mightiness person depended connected the collaboration of idiosyncratic adjacent to his information detail.
Da Rin said kidnappings are progressively occurring successful areas of Port-au-Prince erstwhile considered safe, with pack members sometimes donning constabulary uniforms and stopping drivers arsenic portion of fake operations.
He noted that gangs person been kidnapping radical with treble 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 attacked Village de Dieu, which is controlled by the 5 Segond gang, led by Johnson Andre. Best known arsenic "Izo," helium is considered 1 of Haiti's astir almighty 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 radical including Haitian journalists and planetary missionaries. At slightest 267 radical were reported kidnapped from December 2025 to February 2026, astir of them men, according to a U.N. report.
In 2025, 1,268 kidnappings were reported, a astir 40% driblet from the 2,058 kidnapping reported the erstwhile year, the study stated.
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