“Haitian Gangs Attempt to Seize Control of Main Airport”

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"Haitian Gangs Attempt to Seize Control of Main Airport"

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Heavily armed gangs attempted to seize control of Haiti’s main international airport on Monday, engaging in gunfire with police and soldiers in the latest attack on key government sites amidst an explosion of violence. This includes a mass escape from the country’s two largest prisons.

The Toussaint Louverture International Airport was closed at the time of the attack, with no planes in operation and no passengers on site.

Associated Press journalists witnessed an armored truck on the tarmac firing at the gangs to prevent them from entering the airport grounds, while scores of employees and other workers fled from the flying bullets.

This incident marks the largest attack on the airport in Haiti’s history.

Just last week, the airport experienced a brief episode of gunfire during ongoing gang attacks, but at that time, the gangs did not breach the airport nor did they take control of it.

The attack on the airport occurred shortly after authorities in Haiti had implemented a nighttime curfew following a weekend of violence during which armed gang members had overrun the country’s two largest prisons, resulting in the escape of thousands of inmates.

A 72-hour state of emergency was declared starting Sunday night. The government has vowed to track down the escaped inmates, many of whom were in pre-trial detention, facing accusations of various serious crimes, including murder and kidnapping.

Gangs already had a significant presence in Port-au-Prince, controlling up to 80% of the capital. They have been increasingly coordinating their activities and targeting once-unthinkable locations such as the Central Bank.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry had traveled to Kenya last week to seek support for a United Nations-backed security force aimed at helping stabilize Haiti in its struggle against the increasingly powerful criminal groups.

According to the U.N., Haiti’s National Police force has around 9,000 officers responsible for providing security to more than 11 million people. However, they are often overwhelmed and outmatched in terms of firepower.

The deadly weekend marked a new low in Haiti’s escalating violence. At least nine people, including four police officers, had been killed since Thursday as gangs intensified their coordinated attacks on state institutions in Port-au-Prince, including the international airport and the national soccer stadium.

The attack on the National Penitentiary on Saturday night particularly shocked Haitians who are accustomed to living under constant threat of violence.

According to the Office of Citizen Protection, all but 98 of the 3,798 inmates held at the penitentiary escaped. Meanwhile, at the Croix-des-Bouquets prison, 1,033 inmates escaped, including 298 convicts.