Two prisons in Haiti were attacked by gangs on Saturday night, allowing prisoners to escape, according to Haitian officials. This incident adds to the ongoing violence and chaos in the country’s capital, which has been plagued by gang violence for over two years.
While specific details of the attack are unclear, the government of Haiti released a statement on Sunday stating that police were unable to prevent gang members from freeing a large number of prisoners. Several inmates and prison staff were reportedly injured during the incident.
The national penitentiary in Haiti housed nearly 4,000 inmates at the time of the attack, while the Croix-des-Bouquets Civil Prison held around 1,400, according to local human rights groups.
Following the attack, at least two police unions in the country called on all officers to report to the national prison in Port-au-Prince to help maintain control and prevent further escapes.
The national police union SNPH-17 expressed concern about the situation, stating, “If we let gangs take the penitentiary we are done. No one will be spared in the capital.”
The national penitentiary in Haiti, originally built to hold 800 inmates, currently houses several high-profile prisoners, including the Colombian commandos accused of involvement in the assassination of Haiti’s president, Jovenel Moïse, in 2021.
According to a Haitian lawyer representing some of the accused soldiers, the national prison was nearly emptied of inmates, with only those unable to flee and those linked to the Moïse assassination remaining out of fear of reprisals if they left.
Videos circulating on social media showed parts of the penitentiary empty of prisoners on Sunday.
Lionel Lazarre, coordinator of the National Union of Haitian Police Officers, criticized the lack of action from police authorities in response to the evident threat of the attack.
Commissioner Ernst Dorfeuille, a senior police officer, mentioned that the internet outage made it challenging to assess the situation accurately, but it appeared that most prisoners had escaped. He stated, “I don’t think there’s an inmate left down there,” highlighting the gangs’ advantage in the coordinated attack.
The Haitian government vowed to track down the escaped prisoners and apprehend those responsible for the prison attacks.
Haiti has been in a state of extreme unrest since Moïse’s assassination, leading to widespread gang violence and a collapse of security. With no president or elected officials, gangs now control much of Port-au-Prince, terrorizing the population on a daily basis.
Last year alone, at least 5,000 people were killed in Haiti, according to the United Nations, as the violence continues to escalate.
Violence in Haiti intensified after Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s trip to Kenya to finalize an agreement for the deployment of 1,000 police officers to restore order in Haiti.
The recent attacks on prisons are part of a series of assaults by armed gangs in the prime minister’s absence, aiming to overthrow the remaining government. The U.S. Embassy in Haiti has issued a security alert advising American citizens to leave the country.
Despite the international police force led by Kenya facing criticism, experts view the recent attacks as a significant show of force by the gangs in Haiti.
Diego Da Rin, a Haiti expert with the International Crisis Group, remarked, “The gangs appear to be sending a message of intimidation to the deploying troops in Haiti, showing their united front and ability to strike simultaneously.”
Romain Le Cour, a security analyst, described the situation as a complete absence and silence of the state, with some violence likely planned in advance while others were spontaneous. The armed gangs have shifted the balance of power in recent days, showcasing a new level of directed attacks.
Mr. Le Cour added, “It is probably one of the first times that you have these directed, targeted attacks. It’s not like before. Now they’re just going for it.”
