A high-ranking Haitian Defense Ministry official, James Boyard, a key security expert, was abducted by armed men in Port-au-Prince on Thursday. The kidnapping occurred in Bourdon, a relatively safe district within the city, highlighting the escalating reach of gang violence. Haiti has been plagued by extreme gang-related violence since 2021, resulting in over 20,000 deaths and displacing more than a million people. Boyard was instrumental in rebuilding the Haitian army and reforming the national police, and was under heavy guard due to his position, suggesting possible insider involvement in the abduction. The motive for the kidnapping and any ransom demands remain unclear. This incident underscores the deteriorating security situation in Haiti, which has been without a president since the 2021 assassination of President Moïse, and despite the presence of an international UN peacekeeping force, hundreds of gangs remain active, and kidnappings are increasingly common.