Haitian gangs continue their advance in Port-au-Prince, storming a prison and freeing around 500 inmates. The attack also targeted a local police station, sparking fires and panic, forcing residents and hospital staff to flee, according to reports. Videos circulating online show people escaping, some wading through a river to avoid gunfire.
According to the human rights group Fondasyon Je Klere, gang members traveled freely along the main highway to Mirebalais without resistance. This follows last year’s mass prison breaks that freed 4,000 inmates. Officials had requested reinforcements, including armored vehicles, but those requests were unmet. Frédérique Occéan, a regional official, linked the attack to recent police crackdowns on arms trafficking along the Dominican Republic border.
Police reinforcements arrived by helicopter, and by early afternoon, authorities claimed Mirebalais was “for the moment under control.” Police operations targeted gang members, with reports of multiple casualties and arrests, though no official figures were released.
Port-au-Prince is on the brink of collapse as armed gangs tighten their grip, forcing government offices, schools, and businesses to close. The Viv Ansanm gang coalition now controls key neighborhoods, especially after a January attack in Kenscoff weakened security in strategic areas. The redeployment of armored police vehicles to Kenscoff left roads to the international airport and other regions vulnerable to gang expansion.
The crisis is testing Haiti’s transitional government. The nine-member Presidential Council, already struggling with internal conflicts and a lack of coordination, risks losing control if the capital falls.
While an international intervention last year helped oust the prime minister and prevent a full gang takeover, security remains fragile, and the country’s political transition is stalled.
