Haiti orders curfew after armed gangs overran two prisons, releasing thousands of inmates

[mystery-ak]

Haiti orders curfew after armed gangs overran two prisons, releasing thousands of inmates
World Mar 4, 2024 11:54 AM EST

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Authorities in Haiti have ordered a nighttime curfew after an explosion of violence when gang gunmen overran the two biggest prisons and freed thousands of inmates over the weekend.

A 72-hour state of emergency began Sunday night. The government said it would set out to find the killers, kidnappers and other criminals who fled.

“The police were ordered to use all legal means at their disposal to enforce the curfew and apprehend all offenders,” said a statement from Finance Minister Patrick Boivert, the acting prime minister.

Gangs already were estimated to control up to 80% of Port-au-Prince, the capital. They are increasingly coordinating their actions and choosing once unthinkable targets like the Central Bank.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry traveled abroad last week to try to salvage support for a United Nations-backed security force to help stabilize Haiti in its conflict with the increasingly powerful crime groups.

Haiti’s National Police has roughly 9,000 officers to provide security for more than 11 million people, according to the U.N. They are routinely overwhelmed and outgunned.

more
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/haiti-orders-curfew-after-armed-gangs-overran-two-prisons-releasing-thousands-of-inmates

[mystery-ak]

No doubt on their way here..

[mountaineer]

UPDATE May 22, 2024

Kenya will begin to deploy police officers to Haiti to lead a UN-authorized multinational mission to quell gang violence. The officers—some of whom have experience fighting Islamist insurgent groups near Somalia—will constitute 1,000 of the 2,500-person security force that is largely financed by the US. CNN: Kenyan officials arrive in Haiti ahead of planned security mission, sources say

Kenya's decision to deploy officers comes after a series of court-ordered delays and as Haiti’s main airport reopened for the first time in three months. In addition to Kenya, a number of countries have offered personnel for the mission, including the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Chad, and Jamaica.
 Reuters: Kenyan lawyers move to block police deployment to Haiti

More than 1,500 people have been killed in Haiti so far this year, and hundreds of thousands have fled as gangs control 80% of the capital of Port-au-Prince. One of them—the Crips-inspired 5 Segonn—is among the country’s leading cocaine traffickers, with ties to the 2021 assassination of Haiti’s then-president. NYT: How a Haitian Gang Is Trying to Turn Itself Into a Militia