“The battle will last as long as necessary. We will continue to fight Ariel Henry. To avoid collateral damage, keep the children at home,” Sergier said during a press conference.
Serizier is an ex-cop who has been put in charge of a gang alliance. It has been targeted for sanctions by both the UN and the US Treasury Department.
Violence in Haiti worsened this week during Henry’s visit to Kenya. In Nairobi, Haiti’s prime minister signed an agreement on Friday to send Kenyan police officers to his country as part of a UN-backed international mission to combat gang violence.
Since Thursday, at least four police officers have been killed and dozens injured in Haiti, a country mired in a deep political, humanitarian and security crisis.
Moreover, the gangs, united under the slogan “We live together”, have been launching coordinated attacks in Port-au-Prince since Thursday, targeting mainly strategic points, such as a prison, the international airport and police stations.
Late yesterday there were reports of gunmen attempting to take control of the capital’s main commercial port.
Heavy gunfire rang out in some parts of Port-au-Prince as more people fled their homes near the conflict-ridden areas, burned-out buses lay on the streets and the atmosphere was suffocated by barricade fires.
No area is quiet
In a statement, Henri’s office said it was “outraged by the acts of violence and terrorism unleashed by armed gangsters”, stressing that the government would continue efforts to resolve the crisis.
In the hospitals, the counting of the injured has begun. A source at the University Hospital of Haiti, one of the largest in Port-au-Prince, said at least 25 wounded were being treated there on Thursday.
At the two centers run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which are located in the districts of Tabar and Cite Soleil, the number of new admissions remains steady at about 15 a day, but “the injured are coming from everywhere now. There is no longer any peaceful area,” said Mumuza Muhindo, head of the non-governmental organization’s mission.
“It’s becoming complicated for our staff to move between our centers,” he added.
Muhido also expressed concern over the supply of medicines. “There are boxes that are stuck at customs. We couldn’t get them yesterday (Thursday) because of the riots. If the situation remains the same, it will be complicated to continue our activities,” he stressed.
At the international airport of Port-au-Prince, despite the fire, flights to the US and the Dominican Republic resumed yesterday, according to a source close to the airlines.
Henri came to power in 2021 after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise. He would theoretically cede power on February 7, under an agreement reached in December 2022.
During his visit to Guyana for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) summit a few days ago, Henri assured that elections will be held in Haiti by August 2025.
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