Haiti news:

The government of Haiti declared a 72-hour state of emergency on Sunday after armed gangs stormed a major Port-au-Prince prison, leading to the killing of at least 12 people and the escape of around 4,000 inmates. Gang leaders say they want to force the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who is currently abroad. The groups aiming to oust him control around 80% of Port-au-Prince.

Violent gang wars have killed thousands in the country since 2020. A government statement said two prisons – one in the capital and the other in nearby Croix des Bouquets – were stormed over the weekend. It said the acts of “disobedience” were a threat to national security and said it was instituting an immediate night-time curfew in response, which started at 20:00 local time (01:00 GMT on Monday).

Nearly all of the 4,000 inmates at Haiti’s National Penitentiary are thought to have escaped, while a second prison containing around 1,400 inmates was also overrun by gang members. Among the few prisoners that chose to stay behind at the National Penitentiary are 18 former Colombian soldiers, who are accused of working as mercenaries in the July 2021 assassination of then-Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. Several of the soldiers shared a video pleading for their lives, with one of them saying: “Please, please help us. They are massacring people indiscriminately inside the cells.” Colombia’s foreign ministry has called on Haiti to provide “special protection” for the men.

The prison breaks happened during a deadly weekend of violence on the Caribbean island, where at least nine people have been killed since last Thursday. Gangs attacked a number of state institutions in the capital Port-au-Prince, including Haiti’s international airport and the national football stadium.

Jimmy Chérizier, a former elite police officer also known as Barbecue, who now runs a gang federation, has claimed responsibility for the surge in attacks. He said the goal is to capture Haiti’s police chief and government ministers, and prevent Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry returning from an overseas trip to Kenya. Mr Henry travelled to the African nation last week to try to salvage support for bringing in a United Nations (UN) backed security force to help stabilise Haiti in its conflict with gangs.

Haiti’s finance minister said the country’s police force had been told to use all “legal means at their disposal to enforce the curfew and apprehend all offenders”. US President Joe Biden’s administration said it was monitoring the rapidly deteriorating security situation with grave concern. Haiti’s National Police has roughly 9,000 officers to provide security for more than 11 million people, according to the UN.

In the absence of official information, inmates’ family members rushed to the prison to check on loved ones. “I don’t know whether my son is alive or not,” said Alexandre Jean as she roamed around the cells looking for any sign of him. “I don’t know what to do.” The violence on Saturday night appeared to be widespread, with several neighborhoods reporting gunfire. A second Port-au-Prince prison containing around 1,400 inmates was also overrun.

Gang gunmen also occupied and vandalized the nation’s top soccer stadium, taking one employee hostage for hours, Haiti’s soccer federation said in a statement. Internet service for many residents was down as Haiti’s top mobile network said a fiber optic cable connection was slashed during the rampage.

The surge in violence underscores the precarious situation in Haiti, where political instability and gang warfare have plagued the nation for years. President Moïse’s assassination in 2021 further exacerbated the chaos, with the country still grappling with the aftermath and struggling to establish stable governance. As the government grapples with the fallout of the recent prison break and escalating violence, the future remains uncertain for Haiti and its people.