Armed men in Haiti have kidnapped James Boyard, cabinet director of the Defence Ministry and a highly respected security expert who also serves as inspector general of Haiti’s police, a person with the knowledge of the situation said on Saturday.

He is the highest-ranking official to be kidnapped in the gang-wracked Caribbean country in recent years.

A person with knowledge of the situation who was not authorised to speak publicly about the case confirmed the kidnapping to Associated Press on Saturday.

Local media reported that Boyard was seized on Thursday in Bourdon, one of the few areas in Port-au-Prince that is considered relatively safe. An estimated 70 per cent of the capital is controlled by a powerful gang coalition known as Viv Ansanm, which the US designated as a foreign terrorist organisation in May last year.

Boyard, who is also a political scientist, was tasked with helping rebuild Haiti’s armed forces and has helped assess Haiti’s National Police to implement reforms.

It was not clear who kidnapped him or whether a ransom had been requested.