A wave of panic swept through downtown Port-au-Prince on Thursday as violence broke out, with heavy gunfire and makeshift roadblocks. A gang leader took responsibility, saying it was a demonstration against the authorities.
The violence occurred on the same day that Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry arrived in Kenya for talks on deploying a U.N.-backed multinational security mission in the country.
By noon, most institutions and businesses in the city were closed and thousands of people took public transportation home or sought shelter on foot, according to local witnesses.
A spokesman for Haitian airline Sunrise said the airline had suspended flights, adding that gunfire near the capital’s airport put people at risk.
A police spokesman told local radio that special police units were deployed across the city to respond to the violence.
“We choose to take our destiny into our own hands. The battle we are waging will not only overthrow Ariel [Henry] government. This is a fight that will change the entire system,” former police officer and gang leader Jimmy Cherizil, aka “Barbecue,” said in a video shared on social media.
Henry, who came to power in 2021 following the assassination of the country’s last president, had promised to step down in early February but later said security must first be re-established to ensure free and fair elections.
Gang violence has escalated in Haiti since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. The United Nations estimates that the conflict killed nearly 5,000 people last year and caused about 300,000 people to flee their homes.
Kenya has pledged to send 1,000 troops, and Benin another 2,000, to help the national police fight armed gangs.
Follow us on Google news ,Twitter , and Join Whatsapp Group of thelocalreport.in
