Armed clashes between gangs and police in Port-au-Prince took place on the same day that Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry arrived in Kenya for talks on the deployment of a United Nations-backed multinational security force in the Caribbean country, Reuters reported.
Gunfire rang out across the city as government forces battled attackers who targeted police stations, two of which were set on fire, as well as a police academy and the Toussaint-Louverture international airport, AFP reported.
By midday, most offices and businesses in Port-au-Prince were closed and thousands of people tried to escape the city center on foot or by public transport, witnesses said.
Many people had to leave their homes amid chaos in Port-au-Prince on February 29.
Special police units were deployed across the city and national police union SYNAPOHA said four officers were killed.
Haiti's Sunrise Airways has suspended flights due to the outbreak of violence. A spokesman for the airline said gunfire near the capital's airport had put many people in danger.
"Today we announce that all armed groups will act to force Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign... We will use every strategy to achieve this goal. We are responsible for everything that is happening on the streets today," gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, a former police officer, said in a video posted on social media.
"We have chosen to take our destiny into our own hands. The war we are waging will not only overthrow Ariel's government. It is a war that will change the entire system," said Mr. Cherizier.
Prime Minister Henry took power after Haiti's most recent president was assassinated in 2021. He had pledged to step down in early February, but later said that security must first be restored to ensure free and fair elections.
Since then, the gangs have expanded their reach and are now believed to control much of the Haitian capital. The United Nations estimates that the conflict killed nearly 5,000 people and displaced about 300,000 in the country last year. Armed clashes have also cut off people’s access to food and health services.
A UN spokesman said on February 29 that five countries have formally notified the UN of their intention to contribute personnel to the international force planned to be deployed in Haiti. Mr. Henry has requested that this be done urgently in 2022.
Details of the multinational force, including its size and timing, have not been released. Henry told regional leaders this week that he plans to hold elections by August 2025.
Source link
Comment (0)