- More than 300,000 people have been forced to flee the Haitian capital, which is largely controlled by gangs
Hundreds of prisoners have escaped from a prison in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince as armed gangs stormed the city.
An outbreak of violence since Thursday has targeted the city’s international airport, police stations and the National Penitentiary.
It comes as gang leader Jimmy Cherizier vowed to oust the country’s acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
On Friday, he called on the Haitian army and national police to “take responsibility” and arrest Mr. Henry, who has been prime minister since the 2021 assassination of Haiti’s last president, Jovenel Moise.
Cherizier, better known as Barbecue, is a former police officer who now heads a gang alliance and has faced sanctions from the United Nations and the US Treasury Department.
A demonstrator holds up the flag of Haiti during protests against the country’s prime minister
Gang violence in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince has left at least five dead since Thursday
Pictured: A burnt-out car outside the city’s National Penitentiary, where hundreds of inmates are believed to have escaped
Workers put out a fire at the Haitian electricity company’s office after it was targeted by protesters
A prisoner in a prison cell from which criminals broke out
Prisoners wave their hands from the windows of the prison where armed gangs stormed at night
People gather outside the National Penitentiary in Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Protests have erupted against acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who took office in 2021 after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise
Hundreds of thousands of citizens have been forced to flee metropolitan areas, which are wracked by unrest and controlled by gangs
In the photo: A police officer walks by as two people carry their belongings
In the photo: A police officer stands guard during the ongoing civil unrest
One of the country’s largest police unions called on all officers to help regain control of the prison
Mr Henry had agreed to hold elections by the end of August 2025, CNN reported.
More than 300,000 people have been forced to flee their homes due to random killings and rapes in Port-au-Prince, which is largely controlled by gangs.
One of the country’s police unions, the National Police Syndicate of Haiti, posted on
It added that 3,000 more criminals could be on the loose, and urged all officers to help regain control of the prison.
The British Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office continues to advise against all travel to Haiti, which has been plagued by unrest in recent years.
January was labeled by the UN as the most violent month in recent years, with around 1,100 deaths.
On Thursday, flights at the capital’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport were suspended amid gunfire, while several fire stations in the city have since been burned down.
Other photos showed workers putting out flames at the offices of Haiti’s energy company after being targeted by protesters.