Reports of heavy gunfire near Haiti’s presidential palace are being reported by EFE news agency, as the Caribbean country is rocked by a wave of violence that has escalated rapidly in the absence of Prime Minister Ariel Henri.
Authorities have declared a state of emergency as major riots broke out, gangs released prisoners from prisons, and more than 10,000 residents fled their homes.
The crisis escalated during Prime Minister Henri’s trip to Kenya for consultations on the deployment of an international force in Haiti to help Haitian security agencies fight gangs.
Ariel Henri, who has ruled Haiti since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on July 7, 2022, had pledged to hand over power in early February. But later he argued that public order had to be restored first, in order to ensure free and fair elections.
The US government has asked Haiti’s prime minister for an “urgent” political transition as gangs openly say they are seeking his overthrow.
Due to the unrest Ariel Henri has not returned to Haiti and is currently in Puerto Rico.
SOURCE: APE-ME
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