Violent gangs storm Haitian penitentiary, release prisoners

By James Blears

More than three thousand inmates of Haiti’s National Penitentiary in the capital Port Au Prince are roaming the streets after heavily armed street gangs stormed the prison and set them on the loose. Police appealed for reinforcements as hails of gunfire erupted outside the prison, but no help came. 

Originally built to contain 3,686 inmates, the prison was chronically overcrowded. Its main doors were flung wide and hundreds of prisoners poured out. A prison volunteer said that one hundred inmates, fearing for their lives, chose to stay put, including the eighteen Colombian mercenaries who are accused of the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. Five men were shot dead as vendettas flared during the mayhem. 

There are reports that another prison in the capital was also stormed and that the gangs have tried to capture the port.

Gangs aim to topple government

The latest wave of violence flared as Prime Minister Ariel Henry visited Kenya, trying to establish an international peacekeeping force,  to tackle the nationwide lawlessness. 

Former police officer Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, who now claims to lead an alliance of street gangs, says they aim to capture the police chief and government ministers, topple the Government, and prevent Prime Minister Ariel Henry from returning to Haiti.

The country has not had elections since 2016. Henry was due to step down in February, but the ongoing chaos and pandemonium have prevented that.