Gang Violence in Haiti Remains High as Armed Men Kidnap Security Expert and Family

On 11 June, armed men seized James Boyard, a security expert, the cabinet director of the Haiti’s Defense Ministry, and the police’s inspector general. Boyard had also been tasked with helping the Caribbean nation rebuild its armed forces and assess the National Police and implement reforms.

Boyard, his wife, and his 6-year-old daughter were taken while they were traveling to see a doctor to help treat the daughter, who was reported to be ill. They were seized in one of the few areas in the capital city of Part-au-Prince that is considered relatively safe. “An estimated 70 percent of the capital is controlled by a powerful gang coalition known as Viv Ansanm, which the U.S. designated as a foreign terrorist organization in May last year,” the Associated Press (AP) reported.

Haitian police told The New York Times they believe the leader of the Ti Bwa gang, Christ-Roi Chéry, is responsible for the Boyards’ kidnapping. The Ti Bwa gang is one of several armed groups operating in the country.

As of the time this article was published, the Times reported that a ransom demand had been made, citing a source familiar with the incident. However, the AP reported that it was not known if the kidnappers had requested a ransom.

The nation has had to deal with high levels of violence for years, especially after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. With gangs seizing control over several areas, including an estimated 85 percent of Port-au-Prince, more than 1.3 million people have been displaced in an attempt to escape from the violence and resulting insecurity by July 2025, according to the United Nations. Much of the capital city is believed to be controlled by the Viv Ansanm gang, which the United States labeled as a foreign terrorist organization in May 2025, according to the AP.

“Armed groups that control major highways, ports and entire communities have prevented officials from holding elections,” the Times reported. “Elections that had been scheduled for later this summer are unlikely to be held because of the steady violence, officials have said.”

Boyard’s kidnapping is one in a series conducted by various armed groups, including the abduction of a Foreign Affairs Ministry senior staffer. The staffer, who was held for more than one month, was released after a ransom was paid. In March 2026, two journalists— Osnel Espérance and Junior Célestin—were taken while on assignment near a gang-controlled area in Port-au-Prince. In 2025, five UNICEF employees were held captive for three weeks. Armed gunmen also kidnapped international missionaries after storming into an orphanage in August 2025. Gangs in the nation have been targeting and kidnapping individuals with double nationalities, as well as public officials, Diego Da Rin, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, told the AP.

Throughout all of 2025, there were at least 647 reported kidnappings, including women and children, according to a late 2025 quarterly report on human rights issues in Haiti, published by the United Nations.

So far in 2026, gang violence in Haiti has resulted in at least 2,300 deaths, 1,100 injuries, and more than 100 kidnappings, UN human rights chief Volker Turk told news outlet France 24.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres is scheduled to arrive in Port-au-Prince on 16 June, where he will meet with Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, as well as human rights advocates, humanitarian providers, UN staff, and members of the Gang Suppression Force, a UN-authorized and U.S.-supported task force that aims to neutralize the gangs and eventually replace the previous Multinational Mission to Support the Haitian Police.

For more on kidnapping, check out “Highway Express Kidnapping: Challenges in Prevention, Resilience, and Post-Victimization.”