Haiti’s main port was forced to close Thursday due to sabotage following days of growing gang violence, which has thrown the country into chaos and prevented the prime minister from returning from overseas.
Last week, well-armed gangs launched coordinated attacks on critical infrastructure facilities such as the airport and police stations, as well as bursting into jails to demand that commander Ariel Henry resign.
Caribbean Port Services, the port’s sole operator in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, claimed “malicious acts of sabotage and vandalism” in its announcement to cease all services.
The Haitian government extended a state of emergency for one month on Thursday, covering the country’s west, including the capital — yet gangs control significant sections of residential regions.
The UN’s humanitarian office warned that the health-care system was “nearing collapse,” with many clinics closing or cutting services and a lack of medicine and personnel.
It urged for an end to violence so that aid could enter the country and reported a shortage of “blood, beds, and staff to treat patients with gunshot wounds.”
Gangs attacked police again late Wednesday, setting fire to a headquarters in Bas-Peu-de-Chose, a district in the capital. Officers fled before the attack, which also wrecked numerous police vehicles, according to Haiti’s police union, Synapoha.
No elections, no president
Last week, while Prime Minister Henry was away, criminal organizations launched an attack on two prisons, allowing the majority of convicts to flee.
According to Synapoha, ten police stations have been demolished, and at least 15,000 people are believed to have evacuated the most heavily damaged areas of Port-au Prince.
The UN Security Council gathered in New York on Wednesday to examine the “critical” situation, and the US has urged Prime Minister Henry to take action to settle the dilemma.
Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, an important gang leader in Haiti, has threatened civil war and widespread slaughter if Henry resigns.
In addition to the state of emergency, the capital is under a midnight curfew to promote calm, yet gangs are frequently better armed than security authorities.
According to Synapoha, ten police stations have been demolished, and at least 15,000 people are believed to have evacuated the most heavily damaged areas of Port-au Prince.
The UN Security Council gathered in New York on Wednesday to examine the “critical” situation, and the US has urged Prime Minister Henry to take action to settle the dilemma.
Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, an important gang leader in Haiti, has threatened civil war and widespread slaughter if Henry resigns.
In addition to the state of emergency, the capital is under a midnight curfew to promote calm, yet gangs are frequently better armed than security authorities.