The World Briefly

March 04, 2024

Gangland

Haiti

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Haiti’s government called a 72-hour curfew Sunday evening, as heavy fighting between criminal gangs and police took over the capital Port-au-Prince over the weekend which also saw thousands of prisoners being broken out of jail, Reuters reported.

Up to 4,000 prisoners, including high-profile criminals, may have escaped the National Penitentiary in the capital and a smaller prison in Croix des Bouquets police said, after gangs stormed the facilities, the BBC reported.

Police unions had called for assistance to help officers maintain control of the facilities that gangs attacked on Saturday, or else “no one will be spared in the capital” according to CNN.

The prison attacks came after heavy gunfire broke out in Port-au-Prince in recent days, killing at least 12 people, following calls by gang leader Jimmy Cherizier to overthrow Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

Cherizier – a former police officer – called on various gang groups to unite and oust Henry, while urging police to arrest the prime minister.

Authorities told CNN that criminal gangs have attacked a number of police stations across the city, setting fire to some of the stations.

The Haitian government has not commented on the unrest, which follows public frustration over Henry’s inability to curb violence and his failure to step down last month.

Henry came to office shortly after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021 and pledged to step down by early February 2024. But he later said that security must be re-established in the Caribbean nation to ensure free and fair parliamentary and presidential polls.

The recent clashes took place as Henry was visiting Kenya to finalize the details of a UN-sponsored mission to help Haiti’s security situation.

On Friday, the two countries signed a pact that will enable Kenya to deploy 1,000 police officers to the island, Bloomberg added.

Haiti has been grappling with various crises and gang-related violence in recent years, particularly in Port-au-Prince, where warring gangs control key areas and disrupt essential supply routes.

The violence has resulted in more than 300,000 people being displaced from their homes due to rampant killings, kidnappings, arson and rape.

In January alone, approximately 1,100 individuals were killed, injured, or abducted, marking the most violent month in two years, according to the United Nations.

This story originally appeared in the March 04, 2024 newsletter, Location, Location.