Armed gang members stormed the prison in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, releasing thousands of prisoners.
According to CNN, the majority of the inmates — over 3,500, have escaped.
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Violence In Paradise
Gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier announced an organized attack to remove Henry. He leads an alliance of gangs in Port-au-Prince, CNN reports.
“All of us, the armed groups in the provincial towns and the armed groups in the capital, are united,” reportedly said Chérizier, per BBC News.
The former police officer is reportedly responsible for several massacres in the capital city.
According to CNN, Chérizeir 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. With these weapons, we will liberate the country, and these weapons will change the country.”
Chérizier was sanctioned by the UN and the United States Department of Treasury, CNN reports.
Prison Politics
Before the incident, Haiti’s police union requested military assistance. Reuters reported that the doors of the prison remained open on Sunday with no signs of officers.
However, a prison worker told the outlet that 99 prisoners chose to remain in their cells. These men reportedly included Colombian soldiers imprisoned for President Moïse’s 2021 murder.
