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In Haiti, gunmen kidnapped the defense minister’s chief of staff, the most senior official kidnapped in the Caribbean country ravaged by violence in recent years.
Top security official James Boyard, who is also inspector general of the Haitian police, was arrested Thursday in Port-au-Prince, the island’s capital.
The Associated Press news agency and the New York Times confirmed his kidnapping via sources, with the newspaper adding that Boyard’s wife and six-year-old daughter were also kidnapped.
A ransom was demanded, according to the New York Times, which cited a person familiar with the matter.
Boyard, a highly respected security expert, is the chief of staff of Mario Andrésol, appointed in March.
He was responsible for helping rebuild Haiti’s armed forces.
Diego Da Rin, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, told the AP news agency that kidnappings are increasingly occurring in areas of Port-au-Prince once considered safe.
He said gang members were kidnapping people with dual citizenship and targeting officials, which could mean they were trying to get higher ransoms or possibly deter authorities from attacking gang-controlled areas where hostages are being held.
Since the start of the year, gang-related violence has left at least 2,310 dead, 1,106 injured and 99 kidnappings, according to the United Nations earlier this month.
It has also caused record levels of displacement, with almost 1.5 million people left homeless, according to the latest figures released by the United Nations migration agency.
