As security challenges persist with high-profile kidnappings across Delmas and the Artibonite department, Haitian officials are concurrently pursuing expanded academic cooperation with Spanish universities. The security situation deteriorated sharply on Sunday, September 6, 2026, when journalist Wesly Renaud was abducted in Delmas 31. The following afternoon, September 7, 2026, a new wave of kidnappings struck Ennery in the Artibonite department, targeting lawyer Caleb Jean Baptiste, National Office for Partnership in Education (ONAPE) Director General Stéphanie Paultre, and two accompanying security police officers. Preliminary sources point to Pendu in Gros-Morne regarding the current whereabouts of the victims.
Simultaneously, law enforcement agencies have ramped up efforts to restore order. On September 6, 2026, the Haitian National Police (PNH) alongside a dedicated task force launched targeted operations against violent gang groups, including Gran Grif and Kokorat San Ras, operating in Jean-Denis, Artibonite.
Amid these domestic security pressures, international diplomatic efforts continue to move forward. On September 7, 2026, Ambassador Wooldy Edson Louidor met with Polytechnic University of Madrid Rector Óscar García Suárez and CRUE Secretary General Teresa Lozano Mellado. The discussions centered on significantly expanding scholarship and academic mobility programs for Haitian students, illustrating a dual focus on addressing immediate domestic crises while investing in institutional and educational futures.
