PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti: Residents of the Haitian capital scrambled for safety Saturday after a recent wave of gang violence.
A UN group warned that the “city is under siege” after gunmen targeted the presidential palace and police headquarters.
Criminal gangs that control large parts of Port-au-Prince and roads to the rest of the country have wreaked havoc in recent days in a bid to oust Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
According to media reports, dozens of residents entered public buildings in search of safety on Saturday, and some of them even breaking into a facility.
The violence has displaced 362,000 Haitians, more than half of whom are children, and some have been moved multiple times, the International Organization for Migration said Saturday.
“Haitians cannot live a decent life. They live in fear, and the damage is getting worse by the day and by the hour,” Philippe Blanchet, director of IOM Haiti, said in a statement.
He said that people living in the capital are trapped and have nowhere to go, besides that the city is surrounded by armed groups and danger. “It is a city under siege.”
Lionel Lazarre of the Haitian Police Union said police repelled a group attack Friday night that included the presidential palace, killing several “bandits.” He added that there are no police officers among the victims.
Media reports said that the violence left burned cars outside the Ministry of Interior and in nearby streets.
In recent days, armed gangs have attacked key infrastructures, including two prisons, allowing most of the 3,800 prisoners to flee.
This gang, together with the ordinary people of Haiti, is demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Henry. He was due to quit in February, but instead agreed to a power-sharing pact with the opposition until new elections are held.
The United States urged Henry to implement immediate political reforms to prevent further escalation. However, he was in Kenya when the violence broke out and is now reported to be stranded in Puerto Rico in the USA.
