French Computer Consultant Is Kidnapped In Haiti

On Saturday, Haitian National Police spokesperson Gary Desrosiers confirmed that a 45-year-old French citizen was kidnapped in Port-au-Prince on May 27.

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Several heavily armed men forced the victim to enter a vehicle when he arrived at his accommodation at around 17:00. Some neighbors tried to stop the kidnappers, who yet managed to flee.

Desrosiers said that the victim is a computer consultant who regularly travels to Haiti for professional reasons but refused to provide more details about him.

Kidnappings are common in Haiti, where armed gangs dispute control of neighborhoods. In 2021, human rights organizations registered at least one thousand people kidnapped. Nevertheless, they warned that the case number could be higher because many victims are afraid to denounce their aggressors.

Gangs often released their abductees after receiving huge ransoms, with which they buy weapons and ammunition. In other cases, however, the release of abducted people depends on the security forces' intervention.

On Saturday, for instance, Haitian Police released four kidnapped people, including two under-10-year-old children, in Tabarre neighborhood in Port-au-Prince.

Besides killing the kidnappers, agents confiscated a vehicle, two plates identified to the State Service, and handcuffs during the rescue operation.