Haiti’s government has imposed a 72-hour state of emergency and curfew after armed gangs stormed two of the country’s largest prisons. The two prisons, one in the capital of Port-au-Prince and another in Croix-des-Bouquets were overrun by gang members on Sunday. Authorities believe that almost all 4,000 inmates from Haiti’s National Penitentiary in the capital have escaped.
Ironically, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry was in Kenya last week in an attempt to garner support from U.N. security forces to assist in the country’s deadly gang violence outbreaks, leaving Finance Minister Patrick Boisvert in charge of dealing with the jailbreak. According to Al Jazeera, Boisvert allegedly called on police forces to use “all legal means” to secure the escaped inmates and enforce the curfew. It is unclear where Henry currently is.
A translated post on X, formerly known as Twitter, from one of Haiti’s police unions, reads “No one will be spared in the capital because there will be 3000 extra bandits now effective.” The U.S. embassy in Haiti urges all American citizens to leave the country immediately through commercial or private travel.
It is believed that some of these armed gangs are prepared to overthrow the government. Haiti’s international port has been cut off from the rest of the country, leaving citizens in isolation. Many Haitians blame their government for the kidnapping trade, recruitment of children, and slaughter. “We have chosen to take our destiny in our own hands. The battle we are waging will not only topple Ariel’s government. It is a battle that will change the whole system,” said Jimmy “Barbeque” Cherizier, a former police officer, in a statement reported by local media. Cherizier is a revolutionary and sees himself as a Robin Hood-like figure.
The U.N. states that the government presence in Haiti “continues to erode” as extreme gang violence becomes the norm in the country, explaining that “People are afraid to go to work, individuals in need of medical care avoid seeking treatment and parents are reluctant to send their children to school, fearing stray bullets or kidnappings. For thousands of students, 2023 marked the fourth consecutive year of [an] interrupted school year. An estimated 1 million children are out of school, heightening the risk of gang recruitment for half a million children who reside in gang-controlled areas. U.N. estimates that gangs control 80% of Port-au-Prince and are fighting to seize the rest of the capital.
