Armed gang members stormed the prison in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, releasing thousands of prisoners.
According to CNN, the majority of the inmates — over 3,500, have escaped.
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Recently, there has been increased violence in Haiti. Gangs currently control 80% of Port-au-Prince and are attempting to remove Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
Violence In Paradise
According to the United Nations, there are about 9,000 Haiti National Police officers providing protection for 11 million people. Gangs outgun the law enforcement officers, per CBS News. The Haitian Prime Minister journeyed to Nairobi on Thursday to discuss acquiring a Kenyan-led multinational security force to assist with gangs in Haiti.
Gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier announced an organized attack to remove Henry. He leads an alliance of gangs in Port-au-Prince, CNN reports.
“All of us, the armed groups in the provincial towns and the armed groups in the capital, are united,” reportedly said Chérizier, per BBC News.
The former police officer is reportedly responsible for several massacres in the capital city.
According to CNN, Chérizeir said,
“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. With these weapons, we will liberate the country, and these weapons will change the country.”
Chérizier was sanctioned by the UN and the United States Department of Treasury, CNN reports.
Prison Politics
Before the incident, Haiti’s police union requested military assistance. Reuters reported that the doors of the prison remained open on Sunday with no signs of officers.
However, a prison worker told the outlet that 99 prisoners chose to remain in their cells. These men reportedly included Colombian soldiers imprisoned for President Moïse’s 2021 murder.
Additionally, violence has increased since the assassination of President Moïse. Moreover, there have not been elections since 2016. A political deal required Prime Minster Henry to resign from his position by Feb. 7. Ariel claimed it wasn’t the right time, CNN reports. Haitian citizens have grown frustrated with Henry’s inability to curb the unrest.
According to Reuters, Haiti has declared a state emergency with a “renewable period of seventy-two hours.”
The curfew will be ongoing “between six in the evening and five in the morning on Monday 4, Tuesday 5, Wednesday 6 and this Sunday, March 3 2024,” a government statement reportedly asserts per the outlet.
CNN reports that an additional prison break occurred in Croix des Bouquets.
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