Port-au-Prince, 11:34 GMT. A high-ranking security official has been snatched from his convoy by armed men in the heart of the capital. The attack, brazen and swift, leaves the Haitian government scrambling. Sources on the ground describe a scene of chaos. The official, whose name is being withheld for security reasons, was en route to a meeting when gunmen blocked the vehicle and dragged him out. His driver and bodyguard were found wounded, later hospitalised.
This is not a random act of violence. It is a message. Gangs control over 80% of Port-au-Prince, and the police are losing the war. The kidnapping of a senior figure—someone who knows the inner workings of the security apparatus—is a devastating blow. The question now is who took him, and what they want.
Meanwhile, the UK Royal Navy has moved a destroyer, HMS Diamond, into a holding pattern off the coast. The official line is to prepare for a non-combatant evacuation operation (NEO) for British nationals. But insiders whisper the real target is the political heart of the mission. The embassy has been locked down, non-essential staff sent to the airport. The Americans are doing the same.
Downing Street is watching. The Foreign Office has convened an emergency COBRA meeting for later this afternoon. A spokesperson said: "We are monitoring the situation closely and urge all British nationals to leave immediately while commercial flights remain available." But flights are scarce. Airports are becoming choke points.
This is a test of the UK's ability to project power in a crisis. The last time we did a NEO from a place like this, it was Lebanon in 2006. The military is ready. The question is whether the political will holds. A PM fighting for his political life doesn't need a foreign policy disaster.
Back in Port-au-Prince, the streets are emptying. Shops are shuttered. The hum of idling engine from a convoy of armoured Land Rovers outside the embassy is the only sound. The kidnappers have not made demands. The clock is ticking.
We have a tracker on the hostage—a cell signal briefly flickered from an industrial district near the port. Then nothing. Our sources say this is the work of the 400 Mawozo gang, who have a taste for high-value targets. They want a ransom, a prisoner swap, or simply to prove they can reach anyone.
What happens next is a matter of hours, not days. The US will not negotiate. The UK will not publicly negotiate. But behind closed doors, backchannels are opening. A Haitian priest known to have contacts with the gangs has been summoned to the president's palace. The PM's chief of staff is on the phone with a number in Miami.
This is a disaster within a catastrophe. Haiti is already on its knees. The assassination of President Moïse in 2021, the earthquake, the cholera. Now this. The kidnapping of a security official is a sign that the state is hollowed out. There is no one left to protect.
For the UK, this is a moment of truth. If the Royal Navy can pull off a swift evacuation, it will be a win for a government starved of good news. If it gets bogged down, if there is a mishap, the fallout will be brutal. The PM cannot afford another failure.
We will keep you informed. This is Eleanor Rigby, Political Bureau Chief, reporting from London. Keep your eyes on the horizon. The boats are ready.
