Reports of a violent protest shook downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, as gunfire rang out and makeshift barricades appeared on Thursday. A gang leader claimed responsibility for the chaos, stating it was a demonstration against the government.
The unrest coincided with the arrival of Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry in Kenya, where he was discussing the deployment of a multinational security mission supported by the United Nations.
As the day progressed, most institutions and businesses in the city shut down, and thousands of people hurried home using public transportation or on foot to seek safety, according to eyewitnesses.
Haitian airline Sunrise Airways suspended flights due to the violence, with a spokesperson noting that shootouts near the capital’s airport were endangering people’s lives.
Special police units were dispatched across the city to address the escalating situation, a police spokesperson confirmed on a local radio station.
“We have decided to take control of our own fate. The struggle we are engaged in will not only oust the Ariel Henry government. It is a fight that will transform the entire system,” declared former police officer and gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, also known as Barbecue, in a video shared on social media.
Henry, who assumed power following the assassination of the previous president in 2021, initially promised to step down by early February but later stated that security must first be restored to ensure fair and free elections.
Gang violence has surged in Haiti since President Jovenel Moïse’s assassination, with the United Nations estimating that the conflict claimed nearly 5,000 lives last year and forced around 300,000 people from their homes.
Kenya has committed to sending 1,000 troops, with Benin pledging an additional 2,000 soldiers to support the national police in combating armed gangs in Haiti.
(Reporting by Harold Isaac; Writing by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by Anthony Esposito and Brendan O’Boyle)
