After days of gunfire in the capital, Port-au-Prince, Haiti's armed groups were now eyeing its largest and main prison holding high-profile prisoners. Reportedly, hundreds of prisoners have escaped from Haiti's National Penitentiary in Port-au-Prince after the gangs stormed the prison.
Haiti's police forces pleaded for help on Saturday after major gang fights broke out in the city.
"We are done. No one will be spared in the capital because there will be 3,000 extra bandits now effective," one of Haiti's police union said in a statement.
According to Gazette Haiti newspaper, a "significant" number of inmates fled from the prison. Police officers assigned to the prison had vacated the premises on Saturday, according to reports by local media AyiboPost.
According to rights group RNDDH, the penitentiary, built to hold 700 prisoners, held 3,687 as of February last year.
Reportedly, it was after the attempt to take control of the capital’s main container port, causing traffic disruptions that the prison attack took place.
Why Haiti is witnessing severe gang violence
The Caribbean country, Haiti, has been witnessing unrest in recent years. However, the violence and attacks surged after Prime Minister Ariel Henry came into power. Henry came to power after the assassination of the nation's last president, Jovenel Moise, in 2021.
The armed groups want to topple Henry. Though Henry had pledged to step down by early February, citing the re-establishment of security to ensure free and fair elections, he reversed his decision.
Panic gripped Port-au-Prince after gang leader Jimmy Cherizier called on the criminal groups to unite and overthrow Henry. Heavy gunfire occurred in the region causing many causalities. Cherizier, a former police officer, also heads an alliance of gangs that faces sanctions from the UN and the US.
To avoid collateral damage, Cherizier asked the parents to keep their children from going to school.
The fights had intensified only on Thursday last week targeting police stations, airports and prisons.
“We ask the Haitian National Police and the military to take responsibility and arrest Ariel Henry. Once again, the population is not our enemy; the armed groups are not your enemy. You arrest Ariel Henry for the country’s liberation,” Cherizier said on Friday.
Caribbean leaders said Wednesday that PM Henry had agreed to hold general elections no later than August 31, 2025. This in turn had angered the gangs.
The recent fighting, which broke out Thursday, came as Henry was visiting Kenya to finalise details with Kenyan President William Ruto for the expected deployment of a multinational security support mission to Haiti.
The US Embassy in Haiti issued a security alert on Friday, warning of gunshots and disruptions to traffic near the domestic and international terminals, as well as surrounding areas including a hotel and the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police.
