Armed men kidnap high-ranking Haiti security official
A high-ranking Haitian security official has been kidnapped by armed men near the capital Port-au-Prince, the BBC reports. The abduction comes as Haiti continues to struggle with widespread gang violence that has paralysed institutions.
Citing Haitian sources, the BBC reports that the senior security official was pulled from a vehicle and abducted on a road near the capital. Authorities have not released the official's identity; the national police said an investigation is under way.
Haiti is in the grip of a severe security crisis, with hundreds of civilians killed in recent months of gang fighting. The effectiveness of the UN-backed multinational security mission has been called into question, and government sources say gang attacks on state infrastructure have increased.
Amnesty International and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights have flagged a marked rise in abductions since the start of the year. No official statement has been issued on the fate of the kidnapped official.
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