Just under 4,000 prisoners are said to have been imprisoned in Haiti’s national prison in the capital Port-au-Prince.
Now several thousand of them are said to have escaped, after fighting broke out on Saturday, according to the report CNN.
There is some uncertainty about how many have escaped, but several international news agencies report that the number should be over 3,000.
The country has declared a state of emergency and has introduced a curfew until Wednesday.
An inmate waves from the prison after the mass escape on Sunday.
Foto: Odelyn Joseph / AP
Among other things, the prison is said to have housed the Colombian gang members who were involved in the murder of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
At least five people were killed in the storming, according to the report news agency AP. Pictures from the capital show killed people lying in the streets.
Demand the resignation of the president
The riots in the small republic got serious on Thursday. There have been attacks against police stations and the international airport.
The aim should be to remove Prime Minister Ariel Henry, according to gang leader Jimmy Cherizier. He stated on Friday that he would continue the violence until Henry resigns.
President Ariel Henry is in Kenya.
Photo: SIMON MAINA / AFP
– We ask Haiti’s police and military to take responsibility and arrest Ariel Henry. You must arrest Henry to free the country, Cherizier said, according to the report CNN.
– With weapons we shall liberate and change the country, added the gang leader.
Gang violence has ravaged Haiti.
Photo: RALPH TEDY EROL / Reuters
A series of deferred elections
Violence in Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has worsened in recent years.
The Prime Minister traveled to Kenya earlier this week to conclude an agreement to allow the Kenyan police to assist in the fight against the gang members.
Henry took over as Prime Minister from Moïse in 2021. He has repeatedly postponed presidential and parliamentary elections.
They have pointed out gang violence as a cause to the fact that elections have not been carried out.
There has been unrest in Haiti in recent days.
Photo: RALPH TEDY EROL / Reuters