Hundreds of inmates flee after armed gangs storm Haiti’s main prison in escalating violence

By EVENS SANON and PIERRE-RICHARD LUXAMA
Associated Press

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — At least three people have been killed and hundreds of inmates have fled Haiti’s main prison after armed gangs stormed the facility overnight. The jailbreak marks a new low in Haiti’s downward spiral of violence and comes as gangs assert greater control on the capital. The siege came as the embattled Prime Minister Ariel Henry is abroad trying to win support for a United Nations-backed security force to stabilize the country. On Sunday morning, the bodies of three people containing gunshot wounds could be seen lying on the ground at the prison’s entrance. The prison gate was wide open with no guards in sight. Henry took over as prime minister following President Jovenel Moïse’s assassination in 2021 and has repeatedly postponed plans to hold elections.