Haiti gangs vow to oust PM as they unleash gunfight in capital

haiti gangs vow to oust pm as they unleash gunfight in capital

People drive past a burning road blockade as protesters call for the prime minister to resign – Ralph Tedy Erol

Gun battles broke out in Haiti’s capital on Thursday, leaving four police officers dead, as a gang leader launched attacks aimed at ousting the country’s prime minister.

Shots were heard across Port-au-Prince as authorities fought gunmen who had targeted police stations, as well as a police academy and the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in a coordinated assault.

Gang leader Jimmy Cherisier, known by the nickname Barbecue, said in a social media video before the attacks began: “Today, we announce that all armed groups are going to act to get prime minister Ariel Henry to step down.”

“We will use all strategies to achieve this goal,” he said. “We claim responsibility for everything that’s happening in the streets right now.”

Armed gangs have taken control of vast swaths of Haiti in recent years, including most of the capital, unleashing violence that has left the country’s economy and public health system in tatters.

At the same time, the Caribbean nation has also been engulfed in widespread civil and political unrest, with thousands taking to the streets in recent weeks to demand the prime minister step down after he refused to do so as scheduled.

haiti gangs vow to oust pm as they unleash gunfight in capital

Police take cover as they try to control gangs who forced businesses, agencies and schools to close earlier in Port-au-Prince – Odelyn Joseph/AP

Under a political deal concluded after the assassination of president Jovenel Moïse in 2021, Haiti was supposed to hold elections and Mr Henry cede power to newly elected officials by Feb 7 2024, but that hasn’t happened.

Thursday’s attacks came as the prime minister was on a visit to Kenya, which is moving to head up a multinational mission greenlit by the UN Security Council to help the Haitian police wrest back control of the country.

Special police units were deployed throughout Port-au-Prince and national police trade union Synapoha said four officers had been killed, including a chief inspector.

Schools, universities and businesses in Haiti meanwhile halted their activities.

Multiple airlines cancelled domestic and international flights after aircraft and an airport terminal came under fire.

‘No political solution’

Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary general, called for the restoration of order and a long-term solution for years of political turmoil in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere.

“You can put as many police forces as possible in Haiti [but] if there is no political solution, the problem will not be solved,” he said in the Caribbean nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ahead of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States summit.

Mr Henry had on Wednesday agreed to “share power” with the opposition until fresh elections are held, though a date for the vote has not been set.

Five countries have said they are willing to join the Kenya-led multinational policing mission, including the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin and Chad.

The UN estimates the violence in Haiti killed almost 5,000 people in 2023 and has driven some 300,000 from their homes, while the fighting has blocked off access to food and medical services.

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