Taking into account the escalation of the situation in Haiti following an attack by armed gangs on the national prison in the capital, Port-au-Prince, the government declared a state of emergency for at least three days.
The government announced last night (local time) that this applies to the entire Western Department, to which the state capital belongs, and may be extended. In addition, a curfew will be imposed from 6pm to 5am until Wednesday “to bring the situation back under control”.
Captured violent criminals released from prison
The government took this measure “taking into account the attacks by armed gangs on the two largest prisons in the country”, he stated. Armed gangs had already attacked the national prison and apparently allowed hundreds of prisoners to escape. The government said it was unable to stop police from releasing large numbers of prisoners who were being held on charges of “kidnapping, murder and other crimes.”
Reports in the media about those who escaped varied – from hundreds to almost all of the nearly 4,000 prisoners. There was also another attack on a prison east of the capital, in Croix-des-Bouquets. The security situation in Haiti has deteriorated dramatically recently. According to UN estimates, brutal gangs control around 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and are increasingly expanding their area of influence to other parts of the country.