Fayez Hoda, Pune
Armed gangs broke into a large jail in Port-au-Prince on Sunday, the Haitian government proclaimed a 72-hour state of emergency. During the break, some 3,700 prisoners broke out, leaving at least 12 dead. About 80% of Port-au-Prince is controlled by gangs, and they demand the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who was abroad at the time.
This recent spike in violence highlights the long-standing problem of gang violence in Haiti.
Two prisons—one in the nation’s capital and the other close by—were assaulted over the weekend, according to official sources, raising serious concerns about the security of the country. An immediate nighttime curfew was implemented, starting on Monday at 1:00 GMT and ending at 20:00 local time.
Reports suggest that police stations were targeted in addition to prisons, diverting authorities’ focus before the well-planned breakout. Among the freed prisoners are those connected to President Jovenel Moïse’s 2021 assassination. Prime Minister Henry was in Nairobi simultaneously as the violence escalated to consider sending a multinational security force under Kenyan leadership to Haiti.
Jimmy Chérizier, aka “Barbecue,” was the gang boss who organized the planned attack that forced Henry to leave, bringing together armed gangs from the province and the city. The major jail in the capital of Haiti was stormed late Saturday, allegedly with its doors left wide and no discernible law enforcement presence, despite pleas by the country’s police union for military aid to reinforce the institution.
Several casualties were seen by journalists at the site, some of whom had gunshot wounds. Nearly 100 inmates, including former Colombian troops suspected of President Moïse’s assassination, stayed in their cells, according to a volunteer prison worker, for fear of being caught in the gunfire.
The French embassy declared the suspension of visa services as a preventive step in reaction to the worsening security situation, while the US embassy recommended its people to leave Haiti immediately. In addition to the political void, anger at the startlingly high levels of violence has sparked many anti-government protests, with demonstrators calling for the prime minister’s resignation.