Haiti has plunged into further turmoil as the government declares a 72-hour state of emergency and imposes a night curfew in and around the capital following two chaotic jailbreaks and escalating insecurity.
Over the weekend, armed gangs launched a daring assault on a major prison in Port-au-Prince, resulting in the tragic deaths of at least 12 individuals and the release of approximately 4,000 inmates.
The armed groups, reportedly in control of around 80% of Port-au-Prince, are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who is currently out of the country.
The unrest began on Thursday when the prime minister left for Nairobi to discuss the deployment of a Kenyan-led multinational security force to Haiti.
Gang leader Jimmy Chérizier, widely known as “Barbecue,” orchestrated a coordinated attack with the aim of removing Prime Minister Henry from office.
Chérizier, a former police officer implicated in several Port-au-Prince massacres, said, “All of us, the armed groups in the provincial towns and the armed groups in the capital, are united.”
A government statement confirmed that two prisons, one in the capital and another in nearby Croix des Bouquets, were stormed during the weekend.
Notably, detainees in Port-au-Prince included gang members facing charges related to the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
Despite a plea from Haiti’s police union for military reinforcement at the capital’s main prison, the compound was overrun on Saturday. As of Sunday, the prison doors remained open with no sign of officers.
Some prisoners, including former Colombian soldiers implicated in President Moïse’s murder, opted to remain in their cells out of fear for their lives amid the violence.
The country has been grappling with rampant violence since the assassination of President Moïse, with no replacement in sight, and elections have not been held since 2016. A political agreement stipulated elections were to take place, and the unelected Prime Minister Henry was to step down by 7th February. However, the timeline was not adhered to, further exacerbating the political crisis.
In January, the United Nations reported that over 8,400 people fell victim to gang violence in Haiti last year, encompassing killings, injuries, and kidnappings—an alarming figure more than double the previous year’s statistics.
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
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