Haiti senior defense official reportedly abducted in Port-au-Prince

June 13 - Armed men in Haiti have kidnapped a senior government and police official in Port-au-Prince, the highest-ranking abduction in recent years in a country gripped by gang violence, according to media reports on Saturday.

James Boyard, cabinet director at the Defense Ministry and inspector general of Haiti’s national police, was seized on Thursday in the Bourdon neighborhood, according to the Associated Press, which cited a person familiar with the case.

Boyard is widely regarded as a leading security expert and his abduction marks a significant escalation in the targeting of senior officials in Haiti, where gangs have tightened their hold over the capital.

Kidnappings have surged in Haiti as criminal groups expand their influence, undermining government authority and worsening a deepening humanitarian and security crisis.

Authorities have not publicly commented on efforts to secure Boyard’s release. REUTERS