By Ulku Simsek, Jerry Reynoso, Ash Hallas
Haiti’s government declared a state of emergency after armed gangs stormed the country’s two biggest jails. At least 12 people were killed and more than 3,000 inmates escaped in the jailbreak.
Some of the freed detainees included gang members charged in connection with the 2021 killing of President Jovenel Moïse.
On March 2nd, the jailbreak happened while Prime Minister Ariel Henry was in Nairobi discussing the potential deployment of 1,000 police officers to help restore order to Haiti from Kenya.
In reaction, gang leader Jimmy Chérizier, nicknamed “Barbecue”, announced a coordinated attack aimed at ousting Henry and toppling the remnants of his government.
Haiti’s largest national penitentiary held nearly 4,000 inmates at the time of the attack and the other facility, the Croix-des-Bouquets Civil Prison, held roughly 1,400, according to local human rights groups.
The assault on prisons is part of a chain of attacks that armed gangs have carried out in recent days while Haiti’s prime minister is out of the country. Chérizier’s goal is to overthrow what remains of the government.
“Either Haiti becomes a paradise or a hell for all of us. It’s out of the question for a small group of rich people living in big hotels to decide the fate of people living in working-class neighborhoods,” Cherizier said.
Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry
Following the attacks, heavily armed gangs try to seize control of Haiti’s main international airport, shutting down flights and preventing Henry from entering the country.
Haiti’s government also implemented nighttime curfew in an attempt to control the violent attacks that have paralyzed the capital of Port-au-Prince.
Over the past weekend, U.S. forces evacuated nonessential U.S. citizen workers from the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince and added more security personnel, according to a statement from the Defense Department’s Southern Command. It said no Haitians were included in the airlift.
However the embassy will remain open and continue limited operation.
By Ash Hallas
