Haiti Declares State of Emergency and Curfew

On Sunday, Haitian Acting Prime Minister Patrick Michel Boivert declared a state of emergency and a 72-hour curfew in Port-au-Prince.

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This occurred after criminal armed groups took over the La Capitale and Croix des Bouquets prisons, releasing over 3,000 inmates and leaving a dozen dead.

The curfew will be in effect until Wednesday and will be enforced from 6:00 pm to 5:00 am. This measure does not affect police, military, firefighters, ambulance drivers, health workers, and "properly identified" journalists.

"The law enforcement agencies have been mandated to use all legal means at their disposal to ensure respect for the ceasefire and to apprehend offenders," Boivert said.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry's administration justified these measures by highlighting the deteriorating security situation, which is characterized by increasingly violent criminal acts committed by armed gangs, and has resulted in large-scale population displacement.

These criminal acts include kidnappings and murders of civilians, violence against women and children, looting, and theft of public and private property.

"These actions are contrary to the law. They constitute acts of disobedience to law enforcement, and pose a threat to national security," added the Acting Prime Minister.

Since last Thursday, Haiti has experienced unprecedented violence marked by an increase in the number of clashes between the police and armed gangs, intensification of shootings in poor neighborhoods, and a rise in the number of dead and wounded.