This Sunday, the Colombian Government asked Haiti to grant special protection to 17 Colombians involved in the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021, who are being held in the civil prison of Port-au-Prince. This call comes after a violent attack in said prison, which resulted in the death of at least a dozen individuals the night before.
“Recently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia has issued a diplomatic communication to the Haitian Government requesting specific protection to guarantee the security and physical integrity of Colombian citizens imprisoned in Haiti,” the Foreign Ministry reported in a statement.
The request also includes protection for diplomatic personnel and the facilities of the Colombian Consulate in Port-au-Prince.
“It has been suggested to the Haitian Government to consider the transfer of the 17 Colombian citizens to another prison facility that offers more robust security conditions, given that they have been detained in Haiti since July 2021,” the statement added.
The Crisis situation in Haiti has reported that in the surroundings of the prison the lifeless bodies of at least 10 people, some mutilated by dogs, after a night of extreme violence. So far, the Government has not commented on this incident.
It is anticipated that the number of deaths could increase throughout the day, following the attack on the National Penitentiary the night before.
Testimonies in the area suggest that the Police are regaining control of the situation and have proceeded to collect several of the bodies.
Despite the apparent calm this morning, Haiti experienced a night of acute violence, with intense clashes between gangs and police forces, and the incursion of armed groups into the main prison in Port-au-Prince.
Videos circulating on social media show the leader of the Village de Dieu gang, known as Izo, monitoring the National Penitentiary and the National Palace using advanced drones.
Rumors indicate that the National Palace could be the next objective of these armed groups.
These gangs are using social networks to reveal their intentions to take control over state institutions, seeking to overthrow the Government.
«The Government of Colombia reaffirms its solidarity with the people of Haiti and its commitment to collaborate bilaterally and regionally to find sustainable and structural solutions to the current crisis in Haiti. These solutions must include the participation of all sectors of Haitian society, seeking to offer a future of human development and prosperity to the people of Haiti,” concluded the Foreign Ministry.
For this reason, the country, through the Foreign Ministry, has asked the Haitian government for special protection of Colombian citizens, in order to preserve the rights of each of them, and most importantly, keep them alive.
Furthermore, it is expected that in the next few hours the situation in the Caribbean country can be controlled by the authorities.
Let us remember that in 2021 a group of Colombian mercenaries assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Moise, which unleashed a political and social crisis on the island.
For her part, the detainees’ lawyer spoke about the protection of the detainees and the danger they face if they are released.
Macollins stressed that “we already have a consul in Haiti. She is a consul on diplomatic property who can go with an armored car, pick up the boys, send them to the airport and send them on the first plane possible. If it is because of the plane tickets, the families are already raising money for that, but we need to put them in protection, if we leave them outside the prison looking at the sky they will not reach Colombia.”