Armed men kidnap respected security expert in gang-wracked Haiti
Armed men kidnap respected security expert – A prominent security expert was abducted by armed individuals earlier this week in a section of Haiti’s capital city once deemed relatively secure. James Boyard, a cabinet director at the Defense Ministry and inspector general of the country’s police force, is among the few high-ranking officials remaining unseized in the nation’s ongoing crisis.
Details of the Abduction
The identity of the abductors remained uncertain, though a confidential source confirmed the incident to The Associated Press on Saturday. Boyard, also a political scientist, was involved in revitalizing Haiti’s military and evaluating reforms for the National Police.
“A person of this rank clearly has a fairly important security detail,” said Diego Da Rin, an International Crisis Group analyst. “The abduction of Boyard suggests the operation was meticulously planned and may have relied on internal collaboration.”
Boyard was taken from Bourdon on Thursday, a neighborhood in Port-au-Prince that has largely escaped the grip of Viv Ansanm, a gang coalition controlling 70% of the capital. The U.S. classified Viv Ansanm as a foreign terrorist organization in May 2025.
Gang Tactics and Trends
Da Rin highlighted that gangs are increasingly targeting public officials and individuals with dual nationalities, possibly to secure higher ransoms. Some kidnappings occur in areas previously thought safe, with perpetrators wearing police uniforms to mimic official operations.
Recent police actions, such as the assault on Village de Dieu—a stronghold of the 5 Segond gang led by Johnson Andre, known as “Izo”—have drawn attention to the escalating conflict. The gang’s territory has become a frequent location for high-profile abductions.
A U.N. report noted a sharp decline in kidnappings, with 1,268 cases recorded in 2025 compared to 2,058 the previous year. However, 267 people were still reported missing between December 2025 and February 2026, most of them men.
