Majority of 4,000 prisoners escape: Gang members storm Haiti prison

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Scores of prisoners escaped when criminal gangs stormed a prison in Haiti. Armed gangs stormed the national prison in the capital Port-au-Prince on Saturday evening and allowed “a number of prisoners to escape”, the French embassy told the AFP news agency on Sunday.

Until the situation is clarified, the embassy advises “against all travel to the greater Port-au-Prince area.” On the online service

“Most” of the 4,000 prisoners overall

It was initially unclear how many prisoners were released during the liberation operation. Early in the evening the BBC reported that this was a “large proportion” of the approximately 4,000 prisoners.

According to the online media ‘Gazette Haiti’, the released prisoners are ‘important members of very powerful gangs’. As the newspaper ‘Le Nouvelliste’ reported, known gang members accused of the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse are also being held in the national prison.

1100 people killed, injured or kidnapped

The latest attacks appear to be part of a coordinated effort by criminal gangs who have banded together under the name “Vivre Ensemble” (“Living Together”). Powerful gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherisier said in a video published on online networks before the prison storm that the joint actions of rival armed groups were aimed at the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

The Caribbean state of Haiti has been in a serious crisis for years, to which not only gang violence, but also political instability and economic hardship are contributing. In the past five years alone, the number of people in the country dependent on humanitarian aid has doubled, UN figures show.

The assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021 has dramatically deteriorated the security situation: in January alone, more than 1,100 people were killed, injured or kidnapped in Haiti, according to the UN. (AFP)

Source: Blick