Following the invasion of a large prison by armed gangs on Sunday, the government of Haiti issued a 72-hour state of emergency.
During the jailbreak, over 3,700 detainees fled and at least 12 individuals were killed.
Gang leaders demand the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry; although his whereabouts are yet to be confirmed after he recently visited Kenya. Over 80% of Port-au-Prince, the capital, is under the custody of gangs.
According to a government statement, two jails were stormed over the weekend: one in Port-au-Prince and the other in the neighboring town of Croix des Bouquets.
It declared that the “disobedience” constituted a threat to national security and, in the reaction it was enacting an urgent curfew.
According to Haitian media, police stations were targeted in an attempt to divert attention from the authorities before the planned attack on the jails.
Speaking to the press from Haiti, International Rescue Committee member Sege Dalexis claimed that on Friday, gangs had taken control of numerous police stations and that “many Police were killed over the weekend.”
READ ALSO: Marlin Luanda Attacked, Houthis attack British-linked tanker in Gulf of Aden
Suspects accused of involvement in President Jovenel Moise’s 2021 assassination were among those held in Port-au-Prince.
Since Moise’s murder in 2021, there has been an increase in gang-related violence. Furthermore, since 2016, no presidential elections have been held to replace him.
Gangs- have set up barricades in the capital to keep security personnel out of their domain but they are still mostly under lockdown in their strongholds within Port-au-Prince’s massive shantytowns.
Numerous businesses and schools are shuttered and there have been reports of looting in certain districts.
According to reports, more than 15000 individuals have been forced from their homes since Friday and many of them are currently lodging in a school building in the heart of Port-au-Prince
The most recent wave of violence began on Thursday when the prime minister traveled to Nairobi to talk about dispatching a multinational security force to Haiti under the command of Kenya.
