Suspected criminals were killed by the Haitian National Police during an attack on the National Palace on Friday night in Port-au-Prince, an attempted takeover orchestrated by the Vivre Ensemble coalition of armed gangs, according to local media.
The dead are part of that coalition led by former police officer Jimmy Chérizier, alias Barbecue, considered the most powerful gang leader in Haiti.
The bandits attempted to set fire to the Ministry of the Interior building, where they were ambushed by police officers. At least five vehicles parked in the parking lot and the ministry's generator were set on fire. The police stood firm against the heavily armed assailants who attacked the Port-au-Prince police station and the National Palace, the two main targets of the gangs in their protest to overthrow Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
On Friday night, the perimeter of the Campo de Marte, where the main public square of Port-au-Prince is located, in the vicinity of the National Palace, was the scene of violent clashes between law enforcement forces, which created a climate of tension in the surrounding area. All night long.
Henry has been in Puerto Rico since Tuesday, after he tried to return to his country after several days without knowing his whereabouts. Dominican Republic authorities reported that they denied Henry's plane landing.
Tension and violence have increased exponentially in the capital after it became known on February 28 that the Haitian prime minister had committed to holding elections before the end of August 2025.
The violence reached its peak on Saturday, when gangs entered the two main prisons in the capital, allowing more than 3,000 prisoners to escape.
Haiti is awaiting the deployment of a multinational security support mission led by Kenya and approved by the United Nations Security Council in October.
The current president of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), the president of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, confirmed that they have decided to invite the heads of State and Government of the “Caricom” to a meeting on Monday, March 11, in Jamaica. key countries with which Haiti has committed as partners”, which he did not mention.
