Haiti’s government declared a state of emergency on Sunday after days of street fighting, two dangerous jailbreaks and a declaration of open rebellion by gang leader Jimmy “Barbeque” Chélisier.
Declaration of emergency It contains A curfew is in place across western Haiti for the next three days, during which the streets will be cleared from 6pm to 5am. Only police, firefighters, medical workers and reporters will be allowed on the streets at night.
A man stands near a burning tire during a demonstration against insecurity in Carrefour-Feuilles, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, August 14, 2023. (RICHARD PIERRIN/AFP, Getty Images)
Chéridier is a former police officer and one of the most powerful leaders of the gang that has largely taken control of Haiti since the July 2021 attacks. assassination President Jovenel Moïse said Friday he was ready to fight until incumbent Prime Minister Ariel Henry is overthrown.
Chéridier called on civilians to shelter in their homes while the violence escalates. He called on all gangs to unite under his leadership and carry out operations, including kidnappings and assassinations, targeting government officials.
Chef de Gang, alias Jimmy Chélisier, caters to the demands of barbecue and bands at Maison Jousc à Nouvelle Audre, just down the road from his parents at the Metropolitan. L’ancien Policier Anonse Quai la Batille Visant a Deslogers Ariel Henri… pic.twitter.com/pycevQ7a0Z
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“The fight will continue for as long as necessary. We will continue to fight Ariel Henry. Please keep your children at home to avoid collateral damage,” he said at a press conference.
“Today, I declare that a search has been launched for the Cabinet Secretary and PNH Director-General Franz Elbe. We will stop them and ensure that Ariel Henry never returns to the country and wherever he is We have to send them to.” Said. The PNH is the Haitian National Police.
“The Haitian people must be liberated. We will do it with arms. All armed groups, domestic, local and in Port-au-Prince, are more united than ever. We, the armed forces, , I have decided to take the future into my own hands,” he declared.
A police officer is evacuated during an anti-gang operation in the Portille neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, April 25, 2023, a day after a mob pulled 13 gang suspects from police custody during a traffic stop in the Haitian capital. He stopped, beat him, and burned him to death with a petrol-soaked tire. (AP Photo/Oderin Joseph)
The capital Port-au-Prince was plunged into chaos over the weekend, with heavy gunfire echoing through the streets, barricades blocking intersections and burned-out vehicles clogging roads. A squad of gang members reportedly raided a police station and a major container port.
On Thursday, one of several police unions in Haiti announced that four police officers had been killed by a gang. Video posted on social media showed two police officers being killed. Police union representatives called on the Henley government to recover the bodies.
Gang members raided two prisons over the weekend and released more than 4,000 prisoners.One of the prisons he is in is in Port-au-Prince; It contains Suspect of Moise’s assassination.
sky news report On Sunday, the doors of the national prison in Port-au-Prince remained open, with the few remaining prisoners hiding in their cells for fear of being killed by gunfire. Several corpses were seen lying in the prison courtyard.
Chéridier is believed to have masterminded the escape as a means of continuing to overwhelm government forces. The government said a 72-hour state of emergency was needed to round up escaped murderers and other violent criminals.
More gang attacks were reported at Haiti’s national soccer stadium and international airport.
Police officers surround the prime minister’s office during a demonstration following the deaths of six police officers in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, January 26, 2023. (RICHARD PIERRIN/AFP, Getty Images)
US Embassy in Haiti issued Sunday’s security alert advised all U.S. citizens to leave the country “as soon as possible.”
“U.S. citizens wishing to leave Port-au-Prince should monitor information on the security situation from local news and commercial transportation sources and make arrangements to leave Haiti if the security situation allows,” the embassy said. Ta.
Communication provider Digicel Said Traffic was shut down in large parts of Port-au-Prince on Saturday, but most lines were restored by Sunday afternoon. Digicel Chairman Maarten Bout thanked “the brave engineers who worked tirelessly in extremely precarious conditions to make this possible.”
At least 15,000 people reportedly fled the Haitian capital during the outbreak of violence, crowding into several already crowded internally displaced persons camps.
The new wave of violence appears to have been triggered by Prime Minister Henry’s departure from the country for meetings abroad, including a regional summit in Guyana; visit to Kenya to arrange for international police intervention. Kenyan President Willian Ruto on Friday signed a bilateral agreement to support Kenya, but it still needs to be ratified by Kenya’s parliament.
Chérisier made it clear that one of his goals was to prevent Henri from returning to Haiti. Opposition politicians accused Mr Henry of causing chaos by refusing to resign on February 7 and holding elections as promised. Prime Minister Henry said in Guyana that he could not commit to holding elections before August 2025 due to the unstable security situation.
Opposition leader and former acting prime minister Claude Joseph Said The BBC reported on Monday that Mr Henry’s determination to “remain in power for as long as possible” had plunged Haiti into a “nightmare”.
“He has agreed to resign on February 7th. Despite massive protests across the country calling for his resignation, he is determined to stay in office – but is now facing criminal charges. It is unfortunate that they are using violent means to force him to resign,” Joseph said.
Former US diplomat Luis Moreno warned On Monday, Haiti’s police said they were “overwhelmed and factionally divided,” leaving ordinary citizens defenseless while “elite families” and businesses holed up behind private security. .
Moreno said the situation has deteriorated beyond the point where “5,000 troops could go in there and quell everything and have complete control within 72 hours.”
