Hundreds of inmates have fled Haiti‘s main prison after armed gangs stormed the facility overnight. At least three people were dead Sunday.
The jailbreak marked a new low in Haiti‘s downward spiral of violence and came as gangs assert greater control in the capital, Port-au-Prince, while embattled Prime Minister Ariel Henry is abroad trying to salvage support for a United Nations-backed security force to stabilize the country.
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Three bodies with gunshot wounds lay at the prison entrance, which was wide open, with no guards in sight. Plastic sandals, clothing, and electric fans were strewn across normally overcrowded concrete patios.
Arnel Remy, a human rights attorney whose nonprofit works inside the prison, said on X, formerly Twitter, that fewer than 100 of the nearly 4,000 inmates remained behind bars.
Those choosing to stay included 18 former Colombian soldiers accused of working as mercenaries in the July 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. On Saturday night, several of the Colombians shared a video pleading for their lives.