Her government declared a state of emergency Haiti the western part of the country yesterday Sunday 3/3 in the afternoon (local time; in the early hours today Greek time). It all started after series aominous incidents in the capital and the mass escape of prisoners after raids by heavily armed thugs on two prisons, as the leader of an alliance of gangs has since last Thursday stepped up his bid to oust Prime Minister Ariel Henri.
In its bid to regain control and restore order, the government has announced a curfew, effective immediately, for a “period of 72 hours” – which is “renewable”, according to its announcement – from “18:00 to 05:00” until Wednesday, March 6.
Only law enforcement, firefighters, ambulance crews and credentialed journalists are exempt from the ban, according to the statement.
The measure, as reported by the Athens News Agency citing Reuters and AFP, follows the dramatic escalation of violence in the last 24 hours, with the capital paralyzed, communications cut and two mass prisoner escapes from prisons, including almost everyone incarcerated in the nation's largest prison. It was heralded in a video uploaded to social networking sites by feared gang leader Jimmy Sergier, or 'Barbecue', a former policeman under UN and US sanctions.
At least ten people were killed during the mass escape of thousands of inmates at the Pénitencier National, Haiti's largest prison, in the capital Port-au-Prince, overnight Saturday to Sunday, an AFP journalist found and an NGO said.
“We counted many bodies of prisoners,” Pierre Esperance, executive director of the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (Réseau national de défense des droits humains, RNDDH), told the agency, explaining that only about a hundred prisoners remained in the prison on Sunday, out of some 3,800 who were incarcerated there before the raid by heavily armed thugs.
An AFP journalist who went to the scene yesterday morning saw at least ten bodies around the prison. Some of the victims had obvious bullet wounds, the reporter noted.
He was able to enter the prison, the gate of which was “open” and see that there was “almost nobody” inside the detention center.
On the night of Saturday to Sunday, police “attempted to repel an attack by criminal gangs against the Pénitencier National and (prison) Croix des Bouquets,” Prime Minister Henri's government said in a statement earlier.
“This attack on the detention centers caused many injuries among the prisoners and the staff of the prison administration,” he added.
The government denounced the raids by “heavily armed criminals who wanted at all costs to free prisoners, mainly for kidnapping, murder and other serious crimes” and “did not hesitate to execute citizens, set fire to and loot private and public property”.
It remains unclear at this stage how many inmates were able to escape from the Croix de Bouquet prison, noted Pierre Esperance. Before the attack, about 1,450 people were incarcerated in this detention center, he estimated.
Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, remains mired in a serious political, humanitarian and security crisis, exacerbated by the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. Armed gangs have taken control of much of the territory.
Since Thursday, gangs have been attacking strategic locations as part of a “coordinated” operation to topple Prime Minister Henri.
In power from 2021, Mr Henri would theoretically hand over power on February 7 under a deal struck in December 2022. But he announced he would stay in power, arguing that security must be restored so they can take place. free and fair elections.
The police will “pursue” the fugitives, “arrest” the criminals and “their accomplices”, the government assured yesterday.
On Friday, Kenya and Haiti signed a bilateral agreement to send Kenyan police officers to the Caribbean country as part of an international mission that has been given the go-ahead by the UN.
During a visit to Nairobi, Prime Minister Henry discussed with Kenyan President William Ruto “accelerating the development” of this international armed force, but the timetable remains unclear.
Kenya's parliament approved the mission, which had been blocked by a judge ruling that it was unconstitutional, in late January.
Source: News Beast
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