The Secretary General of Haiti’s High Transitional Council (HCT), Anthony Vierzini St-Pierre, has been kidnapped, the head of the commission tasked with drawing up a road map for elections in the Caribbean country, which is hoped to be held in 2024, announced.

Haiti, which last held elections in 2016 and has had no elected representatives since January, is mired in a political, humanitarian and security crisis, with gangs controlling much of the country, including the capital, and kidnapping hundreds of people. people for ransom.

According to Haitian media, citing Miranda Maniga, the head of the HCT, Mr. Saint-Pierre was abducted yesterday Wednesday around noon in the Debici district of the capital Port-au-Prince by heavily armed men in police uniforms.

In the nearby neighborhood of Petion-Ville, clashes broke out between police and gang members, also according to reports in the Haitian press.

More than a year ago, the government of Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henri called for an international armed force to be deployed in the country to help the overwhelmed police force to deal with the gangs. Despite a green light from the UN Security Council earlier this month, the force, which Kenya has pledged to lead, has yet to be formed or deployed.

Mr. Henri had been named prime minister just 24 hours before Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in 2021 by a group of executioners, mainly Colombian mercenaries. This killing created a political vacuum, which made it easier for gangs to spread. He has promised that elections will be held when security conditions permit.

According to UN data released in September, at least 970 kidnappings had been committed in Haiti so far that month.