Ateker TV
Haiti has enforced a 72-hour state of emergency and nighttime curfew in and around its capital due to escalating insecurity following two prison breakouts.
Armed gangs raided a major Port-au-Prince prison, resulting in at least 12 deaths and the release of approximately 4,000 inmates.
These gangs, controlling roughly 80% of the capital, are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who is currently abroad.
Over the weekend, two prisons—one in the capital and another in Croix des Bouquets nearby—were breached.
Notably, among those freed in Port-au-Prince were individuals accused in the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
The recent surge in violence coincided with the prime minister’s visit to Nairobi to discuss deploying a multinational security force to Haiti, prompting gang leader Jimmy Chérizier, also known as “Barbecue,” to announce a coordinated effort to remove him from power.
“All of us, the armed groups in the provincial towns and the armed groups in the capital, are united,” said the former police officer, who is thought to be behind several massacres in Port-au-Prince.
Haiti’s police union sought military aid to reinforce the main prison in the capital, but the compound was stormed late Saturday.
On Sunday, Reuters reported the prison’s doors were open, with no officers present.
Three fleeing inmates were found dead in the courtyard. According to a volunteer worker, 99 prisoners, including Colombian soldiers linked to President Moïse’s murder, opted to stay in cells fearing crossfire.
Since President Moïse’s assassination, violence has escalated, with no successor appointed and elections stalled since 2016.
A political agreement mandated elections and interim Prime Minister Henry’s resignation by February 7, which didn’t occur.
In January, the UN noted a surge in Haiti’s gang violence, with over 8,400 victims last year, double the figures from 2022.
SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES
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