Haiti: More Than 3,600 Prisoners Released After Prison Attack

March 3, 2024 Hour: 4:15 pm

Without official data yet, it is expected that more than a dozen inmates have died, and almos 4,000 were scaped after the attack on a prison by criminal gangs seeking to overthrow the current de facto government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

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Although the government has not yet ruled on the matter, reporters from the Spanish news agency EFE found that around 12 corpses lie outside the prison, most of them torn to pieces by dogs.

As a result of a night marked by violence, everything seems to indicate that as it progresses this Sunday, the death toll will increase following the attack on the National Penitentiary last night.

Hundreds of inmates flee from Haiti’s main prison after armed gangs storm the facility in overnight explosion of violence engulfing much of the capital Port-au-Prince pic.twitter.com/MVRvNRjkvs

— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow)
March 3, 2024

The assault comes after one of Haiti’s most notorious criminals, Jimmy Chérisier (Barbecue), announced the beginning of a “revolution” against the PM’s government, Ariel Henry, who after participating in the CARICOM summit traveled to Kenya to sign a security treaty, and whose return has not been confirmed.

After the most recent wave of violence, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) called on all Haitian political actors to confront “urgently” and through “a broad dialogue” the increasing deterioration of public security and the humanitarian situation in the country.

During the Caricom summit, it was informed thatis planned a force to be deployed in Haiti to restore order. Also it was announced that Benin will contribute some 2,000 troops to that mission, authorized by the UN and led by Kenya, as well as a commitment of financial support from Guyana.