Haiti: Hundreds of prisoners escape from Port-au-Prince prison as violence escalates

CNN
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Hundreds of prisoners escaped from Haiti's national prison in the capital Port-au-Prince after fighting broke out on Saturday, law enforcement officials said.

One of Haiti's police unions, in a post to He warned that if the attacker was successful, “we are finished.'' 3,000 additional bandits will be activated, so no one will be spared in the capital,” the statement said.

Multiple security sources in Port-au-Prince told CNN that the recent surge in violence that began Thursday and targeted police stations, the international airport and the national prison is unprecedented in recent years. ing.

On Friday, Haitian gang leader Jimmy Chéridier, also known as Barbecue, said he would continue his efforts to oust Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

“We call on the Haitian National Police and military to take responsibility and arrest Ariel Henry. We repeat: the people are not our enemy. The armed groups are not your enemy. We are arresting Ariel Henry for the liberation of our country,” Cheridier said, adding, “With these weapons we will liberate our country, and with these weapons we will change our country.”

Cherisier is a former police officer and leader of a gang federation. He has been sanctioned by both the United Nations and the U.S. Treasury Department.

Public dissatisfaction with Mr. Henry's inability to contain the riots came to a boil when Mr. Henry failed to resign last month, citing escalating violence.

Under an earlier agreement, he had promised to hold elections and transfer power by February 7.

Caribbean leaders announced Wednesday that Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry has agreed to hold general elections by August 31, 2025.

The latest fighting, which broke out on Thursday, came as Henry was visiting Kenya to finalize details with Kenyan President William Ruto on the expected deployment of a multinational security assistance mission to Haiti. .

A Haitian police official told CNN that gangs have attacked multiple police stations in the city since Thursday, killing at least four people and setting part of the police station on fire.

Meanwhile, a shooting near the airport on Thursday forced airlines to suspend operations.

The U.S. Embassy in Haiti issued a warning Friday about gunshots and traffic disruptions in the area, including the domestic and international terminals, hotels and the Central Judicial Police Office.

Haiti has been hit by a wave of riots and gang violence in recent years.

Warring gangs control large parts of Port-au-Prince, cutting off vital supply lines to other parts of the country. Gang members also terrorize the city's residents, forcing more than 300,000 people to flee their homes amid a wave of indiscriminate killings, kidnappings, arson and rape.

About 1,100 people were killed, injured or kidnapped in January alone, in what the United Nations called the most violent month in two years.