News

At least a dozen dead, thousands of inmates flee after Haiti jailbreak

This screen grab taken from AFPTV shows tires on fire near the main prison of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 3, 2024, after a breakout by several thousand inmates. (Photo: Luckenson Jean/ AFP)

By AFP | Monday, March 4, 2024

A reporter observed around a dozen bodies outside the main prison with some having wounds from bullets or other projectiles.

At least a dozen people died as gang members attacked the main prison in Haiti's capital, triggering a breakout by several thousand inmates, an AFP reporter and an NGO said Sunday.

"We counted many prisoners' bodies," said Pierre Esperance of the National Network for Defense of Human Rights, adding that only around 100 of the National Penitentiary's estimated 3,800 inmates were still inside the facility after the gang assault overnight Saturday.

Keep reading

Haiti has been wracked for decades by grinding poverty, violence, political instability and recurring natural disasters but the country plunged further into chaos with the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021.

Powerful, well-armed gangs run rampant and control much of the capital Port-au-Prince.

An AFP reporter who visited the main prison on Sunday observed around a dozen bodies outside it. Some had wounds from bullets or other projectiles.

The reporter entered the prison itself -- the gate was open -- and saw there was "hardly anyone" left inside.

In a statement, the Haitian government said police tried to repel the gang attack against that prison and at another facility called Croix des Bouquets.

It said these attacks left "several wounded" among the prison staff and inmates.

Esperance said it was not immediately clear how many inmates escaped from the second prison.

Gangs aiming to oust Prime Minister Ariel Henry have wreaked havoc in Port-au-Prince since Thursday.

Kenya on Friday formalised the planned deployment of 1,000 police officers to Haiti after signing a reciprocal agreement with the Caribbean country.

The agreement was signed in Nairobi by security ministers from the two countries in the presence of President William Ruto and PM Henry.

President Ruto said the move is in line with the court's determination that there be a reciprocal instrument between the two countries for Kenya to deploy its national police to Haiti.

He further said the meeting also discussed the next steps to follow to enable fast-tracking of the deployment.

With the signing, Kenya now embarks on the final preparations of deployment having received parliament’s approval to deploy trained 1,000 officers for the mission, prepared its concept of operations, authorization procedures and documents in its role as the lead coordinator of the mission.