Haiti has been under a three-day state of emergency amid clashes with armed gangs who are calling for Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign. A curfew was initiated Sunday night after the gangs—who reportedly control 80% of the capital city of Port-au-Prince—stormed two prisons Saturday, killing at least 12 people and releasing an estimated 4,000 federal inmates.
The Caribbean nation of 11 million—the Western Hemisphere's poorest—has seen its security situation worsen since Prime Minister Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in 2021. Elections to replace Moïse have been postponed as a confederation of gangs led by former police officer Jimmy Chérizier (nicknamed "Barbecue") have consolidated control of the city in recent years. Prime Minister Henry defied a Feb. 7 deadline to step down and allow for new elections, prompting widespread demonstrations and the latest escalation in violence.
Henry's current whereabouts is unknown. He was in Kenya last week seeking military assistance as part of a UN Security Council-backed multinational security support mission in October.
Comments