Haiti declares curfew as it tries to restore order after weekend jailbreak

Haiti’s government declared a state of emergency and curfew Sunday in a bid to regain control after violence over the weekend saw armed gang members storm the country’s two biggest prisons.

The 72-hour state of emergency went into immediate effect as the government said it would set out to find the killers, kidnappers, and other violent criminals that it reported had escaped from the prison.

“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, who is serving as acting prime minister.

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

The decree capped a deadly weekend that marked a new low in Haiti’s downward spiral of violence.

At least nine people have been killed since Thursday, four of them police officers, as gangs stepped up coordinated attacks on state institutions in Port-au-Prince. Targets included police stations, the country’s international airport, and even the national soccer stadium.

Persecondnews recalls that a major prison break occurred in Haiti on Sunday as armed gangs set free over 4,000 men at the main prison in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.

According to local reports, among those who escaped were gang members charged in connection with the 2021 killing of President Jovenel Moïse.

Violence in Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has worsened in recent years. Gangs aiming to oust PM Ariel Henry control 80% of Port-au-Prince.