The latest outbreak of violence began on Thursday, when the prime minister traveled to Nairobi to discuss sending Kenyan-led multinational security forces to Haiti. The leader of the gang, Jimmy Chérizier, has declared a coordinated attack to remove the prime minister
(BBC) - Haiti's government declared a 72-hour state of emergency on Sunday after armed gangs attacked the main prison in the capital Port-au-Prince. At least 12 people have been killed and around 3,700 prisoners have escaped, BBC News has reported.
Gang leaders have said they want to force Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who had been traveling abroad, to resign.
Groups bent on ousting Henry control nearly 80% of Port-au-Prince.
Gang violence has plagued Haiti for years.
A government statement said two prisons - one in the capital and the other near the commune of Croix de Bouqets - were attacked over the weekend. He added that the acts of "disobedience" were a threat to national security and said he would impose an immediate overnight curfew in response, which began at 20:00 p.m. local time.
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Haitian media have reported that other police stations were attacked, to distract authorities before coordinated attacks on prisons.
Among the prisoners in Port-au-Prince were members of the gang accused in connection with the assassination of former president Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
The latest outbreak of violence began on Thursday, when the prime minister traveled to Nairobi to discuss sending Kenyan-led multinational security forces to Haiti.
The leader of the gang, Jimmy Chérizier, has declared a coordinated attack to remove the prime minister.
"All of us, the armed groups in the provincial cities and the armed groups in the capital, are united," said Chérizier, the former police chief who is believed to be behind several massacres in Port-au-Prince.
Haiti's police union had asked the military to help reinforce the capital's main prison, but the complex was attacked late Saturday.
On Sunday the prison doors were still open and there was no sign of the officers. Three prisoners, who tried to escape, were dead in the yard, a report said.
A prison volunteer has said that 99 inmates - including former Colombian soldiers jailed for assassinating President Moïse - had decided to stay inside their prisons for fear of being killed in the shootout.
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The Embassy of the United States of America in Port-au-Prince on Sunday has warned its citizens to leave Haiti "as soon as possible". The French embassy has said it will close visa services as a "precautionary measure".
While Haiti has been terrorized by gangs for years, violence has escalated since the assassination of President Moïse in his home in 2021. He has not been replaced and no elections have been held since 2016.
According to a political agreement, Henry had to retire by February 7. But the planned elections were not held so he still remains in office.
On Monday, Kenyan authorities said the prime minister had returned to Haiti.
Claude Joseph - who acted as prime minister when President Moïse was assassinated and now heads the opposition party Those Committed to Development - said Haiti is going through a nightmare.
Joseph said that Prime Minister Henry wanted "to stay in charge as long as possible".
"He has agreed to leave on February 7. Now he decides to stay, despite the fact that there are huge protests across the country calling for his resignation - but it's unfortunate that these criminals are now using violence to force him to resign."
In January, the UN said more than 8,400 people were victims of Haitian gang violence last year, including murders, injuries and kidnappings - more than double the numbers in 2022.
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Many health facilities have stopped operations due to bleeding.
Anger over the shocking levels of violence, over the political vacuum, has led to several anti-government demonstrations, with protesters calling for the prime minister's resignation.
