Top Haitian Security Official Kidnapped
The New York Times • • world
Key Points:
- James Boyard, a high-ranking Haitian security official and newly appointed chief of staff to the Minister of Defense, was kidnapped along with his wife and 6-year-old U.S. citizen daughter in Port-au-Prince, with a ransom reportedly demanded.
- The Ti Bwa gang, led by Christ-Roi Chéry (known as Chrisla) and under European Union sanctions, is believed to be responsible for the abduction, according to Haitian police.
- Haiti has experienced escalating violence since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, with armed gangs controlling key infrastructure and preventing elections, leading to widespread displacement and over 16,000 deaths since 2022.
- Kidnappings are frequent in Haiti, with at least 647 people abducted last year, including women and children, often for ransom, with foreigners typically targeted for higher payments.
- The Ti Bwa gang is known for extorting the local population through illegal tollbooths and other means, contributing to the broader instability affecting Haiti’s capital and surrounding areas.