Haiti imposes state of emergency after 4,000 prisoners escape in massive jailbreak
Haiti’s government declares a state of emergency and night-time curfew after Jimmy Cherizier’s gangs free nearly 4,000 inmates from the country’s largest prisons
Haiti’s government has declared a 72-hour state of emergency and imposed a night-time curfew following the storming of the country’s two most prominent prisons in Port-au-Prince.
This measure comes in response to a violent weekend where armed gangs led by Jimmy Cherizier, a former elite police officer nicknamed Barbecue, liberated nearly 4,000 inmates.
Acting Finance Minister Patrick Boivert announced that the police are ordered to use all legal means to enforce the curfew and apprehend offenders. This decisive action aims to curb the escalating violence and capture escaped criminals, including murderers and kidnappers.
The crisis erupted last Thursday when gangs intensified their attacks in the capital while Prime Minister Ariel Henry was abroad, rallying support for a UN-backed security force.
In a bold move, Cherizier took responsibility for these attacks, aiming to seize Haiti’s police chief and government ministers, thereby hindering Henry’s return.
Since Thursday, at least nine people have died, four of them police officers. Targets included police stations, the international airport, and the national soccer stadium, where gang members held an employee hostage for several hours.
The assault on the National Penitentiary, which housed around 4,000 inmates, left Haitians, accustomed to violence, in shock.
After the jailbreak, the facility was eerily empty, save for scattered belongings and three bodies at the entrance. Another prison, containing approximately 1,400 inmates, also succumbed to the gangs.
Human rights attorney Arnel Remy stated that fewer than 100 of the nearly 4,000 inmates at the National Penitentiary remained after the jailbreak.
Meanwhile, 18 former Colombian soldiers, implicated in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, chose to stay in prison. One of them appealed for help in a message that quickly spread on social media.
The weekend’s violence also caused disruptions in internet service, as Haiti’s leading mobile network reported a cut in its fiber optic cable. Restoration of the service was completed by Sunday afternoon.
This crisis appears to stem from the delayed parliamentary and presidential elections and the void in leadership following President Moïse’s assassination.
Gangs, now controlling about 80% of Port-au-Prince, have increasingly targeted state institutions, demonstrating their growing coordination and audacity. The violence also reflects the challenges Haiti’s National Police face, with just 9,000 officers for a population exceeding 11 million.
Source: Newsroom
