Haiti: State Of Emergency Declared After Mass Jailbreak

The government of Haiti has declared a 72-hour state of emergency after armed gangs stormed a major Port-au-Prince prison, leading to the killing of at least 12 people and the escape of around 4,000 inmates.

Gang leaders say they want to force the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who is currently abroad.

The groups aiming to oust him control around 80% of Port-au-Prince.

Violent gang wars have killed thousands in the country since 2020.

A government statement said two prisons, one in the Capital and the other in nearby Croix des Bouquets were stormed over the weekend.

It said the acts of “disobedience” were a threat to national security and said it was instituting an immediate night-time curfew in response, which started at 20:00 local time (1:00 GMT on Monday).

Among those detained in Port-au-Prince were gang members charged in connection with the 2021 killing of President Jovenel Moïse.

Haiti’s police union had asked the military to help reinforce the Capital’s main prison, but the compound was stormed late on Saturday.

Violence has been rife since President Moïse’s assassination. He has not been replaced and elections have not been held since 2016.

Under a political deal, elections were to be held and the unelected Henry was due to stand down by 7 February, but that did not happen.

BBC