Cap-Haïtien finance director released after Port-au-Prince kidnapping, raising new security concerns

CAP-HAÏTIEN — Jean Dorvil Étienne, the Northern Department’s regional director of the Ministry of Finance, was released earlier this week after being kidnapped in Port-au-Prince over the weekend, his family confirmed. Étienne’s abduction marks the first high-profile kidnapping in months, reigniting fears in a country grappling with insecurity.

A well-known figure in Cap-Haïtien, Étienne also owns Institut Sacré-Coeur, a prestigious school in the region. He was a Senate candidate for the department in the 2015 elections. Despite his prominence, the Étienne family has declined to give interviews due to safety concerns.

While Étienne’s family remained tight-lipped during his kidnapping, it was later revealed that he was released after a ransom was paid, according to Gérard Maxineau, a local reporter. Neither the ransom amount nor the kidnappers’ identity has been disclosed.

Silence from government officials

Though Étienne holds a high-level position, the Haitian government has not issued an official statement regarding the kidnapping, which has raised questions among the public and local media. Some of Étienne’s friends contacted by The Haitian Times expressed relief over his safe release but refrained from commenting further, respecting the family’s wishes for privacy.

The lack of information during the ordeal left many residents of Cap-Haïtien unsure whether Étienne had been kidnapped at all, as rumors swirled without confirmation from official sources. 

“The family likely avoided media attention to prevent hindering negotiations with the kidnappers,” Maxineau said in his Facebook post.

Kidnapping trends in Haiti

Étienne’s abduction comes amid a period where kidnappings had reportedly decreased in Haiti or at least gone underreported. The last major kidnapping to capture national and international headlines was in March 2024, when American YouTuber Addison Pierre “Arab” Maalouf was abducted. 

Before that, in February, four members of the Congregation of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart and a teacher were also kidnapped, creating a brief surge of public concern.

The Haitian National Police (PNH) has been struggling to manage widespread insecurity, with gangs operating with impunity in parts of the capital and other regions, particularly in the Artibonite Department. This is despite the assistance of the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, which currently consists of 407 members.

Kidnappings, which had become a hallmark of gang activity, seemed to have slowed in recent months, making Étienne’s case particularly alarming. His kidnapping adds to the sense of grief in Cap-Haïtien, where residents are still reeling from the recent assassination of Kerwin Augustin, the regional director of the National Office of Migration. 

Unidentified individuals on motorcycles shot Augustin as he returned home with his wife from a party on Sept. 18, according to Le Nouvelliste. He was transported to Justinian University Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. The attack took place in Centre Medico, a neighborhood in Cap-Haïtien, and remains unsolved.

The deaths and kidnappings of prominent figures in the Northern Department have left the region’s residents anxious, with many calling for increased security measures and more attention from the government.

As for Étienne, while he has been safely returned to his family, the incident underscores the ongoing instability in Haiti, where even government officials are not immune to the pervasive threat of kidnapping.

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