 "A man drives past a burning barricade during a protest against Prime Minister Ariel Henry's government and insecurity, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Reuters File")
As a key gang leader tries to overthrow Prime Minister Ariel Henry, armed gangs were closing in on Haiti’s main jail on Saturday night, despite police forces’ appeals for assistance following days of bloodshed in several areas of the city.
In order to prevent prisoners in the National Penitentiary in Port-Au-Prince—many of whom are regarded as prominent criminals—from escaping, two of the major police unions in the Caribbean nation requested aid.
How many had left the jail remained a mystery, while the publication Gazette Haiti reported that the number was “significant.” Reluctant to flee in large numbers were several captives who feared getting murdered in the firefight, sources told Reuters.
Local media AyiboPost reported on Saturday that the prison’s assigned police personnel had left the property.
The government of Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, did not comment on the situation on Saturday.
Heavy gunfire has caused panic in recent days after calls by gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, a former police officer, for criminal groups to unite and overthrow Henry. Cherizier, also known as Barbecue, heads an alliance of gangs and faces sanctions from the U.N. and the U.S.
The penitentiary, built to hold 700 prisoners, held 3,687 as of February last year, according to rights group RNDDH. A 2017 report by the group warned of serious overcrowding at the prison, which is said to suffer from poor police staffing.
The prison attack follows reports on Friday that armed men had attempted to take control of the capital’s main container port, causing traffic disruptions, and gangs threatened to attack more of the city’s police stations.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsCherizier this week warned locals to keep children from going to school to “avoid collateral damages” as violence surged.
Prime Minister Henry, who came to power after the assassination of the country’s last president, Jovenel Moise, in 2021, had previously pledged to step down by early February. He later said security must first be re-established in order to ensure free and fair elections.