Haiti declares state of emergency after gangs free 4000 inmates

Haiti has declared a state of emergency for 72 hours after gangs freed 4000 inmates in the capital of Port-au-Prince, at least 12 people have died. Gang leaders are calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who is forcibly being kept out of the nation.

It has been estimated that about 80% of the capital is under siege by various gangs collaborating for a joint cause. The government provided a statement wherein they stated that such acts of “disobedience” are considered a threat to national security and in response implemented an immediate curfew from 6 pm until 5 am local time.

Reports suggest that the front door to the prison was open with not a single officer in sight. Journalists reported seeing over ten corpses in the prison, several of whom had bullet wounds. Near one hundred inmates made the choice to stay within prison bounds, believing it was the safer option and/or to maintain their legal loyalty and carry out their sentence as intended.

The police were given orders to use all legal means at their disposal to enforce the newly introduced curfew. Gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, alias Barbeque, a former elite police officer has been pushing to remove PM Henry from power and has progressively been using more violent attacks until his demands are met.

The normally overcrowded facilities were left nearly empty, and a second Port-Au-Prince which had 1400 prisoners was also targeted by the gangs for a jailbreak.

Of the inmates that chose to remain imprisoned included 18 former Colombian soldiers who were previously accused of working as mercenaries and being involved in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jouvenel Moise, the catalyst event that sent Haiti into its downward descent of gang violence.

Several of these inmates shared a video pleading for their lives this Saturday after the targeted attacks on the capital took place.

The general population was also affected in more subtle ways, internet services for many Haitians were down as a top mobile network in the region stated that a fibre optic cable connection was slashed during the riots.

In a statement, the government gave credit and thanked the local population, citing “the population for their calm, despite these very difficult times”.

The president's exact whereabouts remained uncertain when the attacks commenced on Saturday, he was unable to return from Kenya due to these attacks, and it is believed the gangs will not let him back in the country until his resignation is announced.