In Haiti, armed gangs attacked several government buildings in the capital Porte-au-Prince on Friday evening. Residents report this on social media. There is mention of the Ministry of the Interior, a police headquarters and the presidential palace.
Haiti’s capital is paralyzed by violence. A week ago, more than 4,500 inmates broke out following attacks on two prisons after armed gangs stormed the prisons.
Since then, police stations have been attacked, shots fired at the airport and the health system is on the verge of collapse. The gangs caused major unrest on Thursday by targeting the international airport, the police academy and police stations and killing four police officers. The police would hardly show up on the streets anymore.
The gang behind the current attacks, Gran Ravine, is led by Renel Destina, who also goes by the name Ti Lapli. His supporters have looted and burned numerous homes. Several fatalities were killed with automatic weapons. According to a witness, homes were also attacked with Molotov cocktails.
Most wanted
Gang leader Destina is wanted by the American FBI because he is alleged to have been involved in the kidnapping and hostage-taking of a US citizen in 2021 in exchange for ransom. He is described as armed and dangerous on the police department’s ‘most wanted’ website.
Haiti has been in a deep economic, political and security crisis for years, which is the breeding ground for the rise of many gangs. These gangs control about 80 percent of the capital Port-au-Prince.
