Gunfire paralyses Haiti as powerful gang leader seeks to capture police chief, ministers
- Prominent gang leader says coordinated attack meant to oust prime minister
- Armed gangs have taken over entire swathes of the country in recent years
Heavy gunfire paralysed Haiti’s capital Thursday, and at least four police officers were slain, as a powerful gang leader announced that he would try to capture the country’s police chief and government ministers.
The move came during the absence of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who is in Kenya trying to finalise details for the deployment of a foreign armed force to Haiti to help combat gangs.
Gunmen shot at Haiti’s main international airport and other targets, including police stations, in a wave of violence that caught many people by surprise. At least four police officers, including two women, were killed in an attack on a station near the community of Canaan, according to a police union.
The violence forced the airport, businesses, government agencies and schools to close as parents and young children fled through the streets in panic. At least one airline, Sunrise Airways, suspended all flights.
Jimmy Cherizier, known as “Barbecue” and leader of the gang federation G9 Family and Allies, was seen in a recorded video announcing that the aim was to tie up the police chief and government ministers and prevent Henry from returning to Haiti.