Haiti declares state of emergency and curfew after thousands of prisoners escape from Port-au-Prince prison

The office of Prime Minister and interim President Ariel Henry said the security crisis Haiti is facing has led the government to declare a state of emergency and a curfew in much of the country on Sunday night. The decision, which will last 72 hours, comes after thousands of prisoners escaped from the main prison in the capital Port-au-Prince following an attack by criminal gangs terrorizing the Caribbean country. ±oy whose objective was to overthrow Henry’s executive. With the announcement of the curfew, the government is expected to “take appropriate measures to restore order and gain control over the situation”. Authorities have admitted the country is facing a “degradation in security” after months of clashes between gangs.

The Caribbean island is plunging into violence and chaos, creating thousands of internally displaced people. Clashes in Port-au-Prince have caused hundreds of residents in the northern area of ​​the capital to flee their homes. The United Nations has reported that more than 800 people have been killed in January, a red flag from an internal war that is ravaging the impoverished Caribbean nation. The violence has also expelled thousands of Haitians, and the Dominican Republic, its neighbor, is the main destination of that migration. Due to the large number of migrants arriving, tensions in that country have increased so much that its President Luis Abinader has appealed for help to “save” Haiti.

The curfew announced by the Haitian government will be extended until Wednesday, although it could be extended if authorities cannot stabilize the critical situation. The Executive found itself unable to confront the violence and mobilized all public forces to attempt to restore order primarily in the capital. “Law enforcement agencies have been ordered to use all legal means at their disposal to ensure respect for the ceasefire and arrest violators,” explained the executive, who acknowledged that the violence “threatens national security.” Puts it.”

Haiti faced terror on Saturday night after 3,696 prisoners escaped from the largest prison in Port-au-Prince. Local organizations have reported that criminal gangs raided the prison, causing 97% of the prisoners to escape. As EFE reports, they also report fifteen deaths. In that prison, a gang leader and 18 former Colombian soldiers accused of assassinating President Jovenel Moise in 2021 were serving sentences. The attack on the prison has been attributed to Jimmy Charizier, a former elite police officer who heads one of the prisons. Violent gangs in the capital. Charizard, who calls himself Barbecue, has stated that his intention with the attack was to capture the chief of the Haitian police and confirms that his aim was to overthrow the interim president.

As chaos spread in his country, Prime Minister Henry traveled to Kenya to ask for support in deploying Kenyan police officers to Haiti, a desperate move after failed attempts to send a multinational mission to the United Nations , despite the Security Council initially approving a resolution. of last year to authorize that mission. Dominican President Abinader condemned that aid commitments remain mere words. The President has said that Haiti’s “collapse” would be a threat to us and the region.

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