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Earlier this month, armed gangs orchestrated jailbreaks from Haiti's two largest prisons and demanded the resignation of the Caribbean nation's prime minister, Ariel Henry. The Haitian leader is not currently in the country, and is petitioning the international community for a United Nations-backed security force to step in.See also:
More than 4,500 inmates have escaped, including senior gang leaders, the United Nations said last week, adding that the jailbreak was the result of "coordinated gang action against national institutions."
Haitian authorities extended a state of emergency and a curfew on Thursday as fierce battles for power continued to grip Port-au-Prince. The capital's international airport and main port are closed, and the country's national police — along with other state apparatus — have teetered on the edge of collapse.
Gangs have targeted and torched police stations, and in late January, Reuters reported that Haiti's national police had lost nearly 3,300 officers in around three years, citing trade union figures.
Estimates suggest armed gangs control upwards of 80 percent of the capital city.
Since the start of 2024, just under 1,200 people have been killed and nearly 700 others injured in the gang violence, according to the UN. In 2023, almost 4,000 people were killed and another 3,000 kidnapped in the fighting.
Haiti is "on the cusp of even greater chaos and violence," campaign group Human Rights Watch said on Friday. "The situation on the ground remains dire," added CARICOM, a regional bloc that includes Haiti.
The political and economic crisis is powering a looming humanitarian emergency. "The health system is on the brink of collapse," the UN said in a statement. "Hospitals often do not have the capacity to treat those arriving with gunshots wounds. Schools and business are closed, and children are increasingly used by gangs."
Drinkable water is running out, and more than 313,000 people have been internally displaced, the UN said.
"If Ariel Henry doesn't resign, if the international community continues to support him, we'll be heading straight for a civil war that will lead to genocide," influential Haitian gang leader Jimmy Chérizier — also known as Barbecue — said early last week.
"In the past week, the political crisis in Haiti, combined with escalating violence and civil unrest, has created an untenable situation which threatens the country's citizens and security," U.S. State Department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, said on Friday.
Comment: Author is a critical thinker at age 15.