Haiti: Hundreds of prisoners escape Port-au-prince prison after violence

Hundreds of prisoners have escaped from Haiti’s National Penitentiary in Port-au-prince, after fighting erupted on Saturday, CNN reported citing a law enforcement source.

In a post on X, one of Haiti’s Police Unions pleaded for all officers in the capital with access to cars and weapons to support police fighting to have control over the penitentiary. They warned that if the attackers were successful ‘we are done. No one will be spared in the capital because there will be 3,000 extra bandits now effective’, according to the statement.

The most recent rise in violence, which started on Thursday and has targeted police stations, the international airport and the National Penitentiary, is unprecedented in recent years, CNN reported citing multiple security sources in Port-au-prince.

On Friday, Haitian gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, also known as Barbecue, said he would continue to make efforts to try and oust Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, according to CNN report.

Cherizier said: “We ask the Haitian National Police and the military to take responsibility and arrest Ariel Henry. Once again, the population is not our enemy; the armed groups are not your enemy. You arrest Ariel Henry for the country’s liberation.” He added: “With these weapons, we will liberate the country, and these weapons will change the country.” Jimmy Cherizier, a former police officer, who heads an alliance of gangs, has faced sanctions from the US Department of Treasury and the United Nations, CNN reported.

People in Haiti disappointed over Henry’s inability to control the unrest, boiled over after he did not step down in February, citing the escalating violence. Under a previous agreement, Ariel Henry had announced to hold elections and transfer power by February 7.

On Wednesday, Caribbean leaders said that Haitian PM Ariel Henry had agreed to hold general elections no later than August 31, 2025.