Armed Men Kidnap Defense Ministry Cabinet Director James Boyard, Wife, and 6-Year-Old Daughter

Armed men in Port-au-Prince seized James Boyard — cabinet director of Haiti's Defense Ministry and concurrently inspector general of the Haitian National Police — along with his wife and 6-year-old daughter on June 11, 2026, while the family was traveling to see a doctor for the child. Boyard is the highest-ranking Haitian official kidnapped in recent years. He had been tasked with helping rebuild the Haitian Armed Forces (FAd'H) and assessing/reforming the National Police. It was not immediately clear who carried out the abduction or whether a ransom was demanded, though the kidnapping is suspected to have been organized by the Ti Bwa gang. Analysts noted the operation's apparent planning and precision suggested possible inside knowledge of Boyard's security detail and movements — raising concern about infiltration of Haiti's security apparatus.