Unleash of violence
Prisoners escaped from the national penitentiary in Port-au-Prince, after the assault by armed gangs this Saturday evening against the main Haitian prison.
She was “spied on since Thursday via drone »according to Haitian daily the Nouvelliste. The Port-au-Prince prison was attacked on Saturday March 2 in the evening. “Bandits stormed the national penitentiary of Port-au-Prince and allowed the escape of a certain number of inmates,” relates in a press release, the French embassy in the Haitian capital, inviting residents to stay “cautious» and to refrain from “move“.
In a message in Creole posted on Among “a significant number of prisoners released” by the armed attackers, appear “important members of very powerful gangs”reports the Haitian Gazette. Several common law prisoners, known gang leaders and those accused in the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021 were incarcerated in this penitentiary establishment, located a few hundred meters from the national palace, adds the Nouvelliste. No details, however, on the number or profile of escaped detainees.
At least four police officers have been killed since Thursday and dozens of people have been injured. Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, Haiti has faced a serious political, security and humanitarian crisis. Armed gangs have taken control of entire sections of the country and the number of homicides has more than doubled in 2023. In power since 2021, Prime Minister Ariel Henry should have left office at the beginning of February. Still according to the Short story writer, he is currently absent from the capital.
This week’s violence aims to force the Prime Minister to leave power. The gangs, united under the label “Living Together”, carry out coordinated attacks in the capital. They particularly target strategic sites such as the civil prison, the international airport and police buildings. In a video posted on social networks before the attacks, the powerful gang leader, Jimmy Cherisier alias “Barbecue”, claimed that “all armed groups will act to obtain the departure of Prime Minister Ariel Henry”. “We will use all strategies to achieve this objective. We take responsibility for everything that is happening in the streets at the moment”, he added. These February 29 attacks coincide with the 20th anniversary of the coup that ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from power.