By Deutsche Welle
02 Apr 2024, 02:11 AM EDT
Armed gangs failed in their attempt to storm Haiti’s National Palace, although at least five police officers were injured, one of them seriously. The Haitian National Police (PNH) contained the attack against the symbol of political power in the country, perpetrated by the coalition of armed gangs Vivre Ensemble (Living Together), led by former police officer Jimmy Cherizier, alias BBQ.
The units in charge of the security of the National Palace supported the police to repel the attack, which occurred in the midst of tension in the main public square of the Haitian capital, Champs de Mars – where the building is located – with people running in all directions to escape the gunfire, according to EFE.
The attackers also set fire to an armored police vehicle that had broken down around the National Palace.
They extended the curfew until April 3
In this context, the authorities extended the curfew until April 3 in the Western Department, where Port-au-Prince is located. That demarcation was declared in a state of emergency on March 6, due to the violence of armed gangs, who almost completely control the capital area.
On the other hand, the Government of Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry – who promised to resign as soon as the Presidential Transition Council– committed to working to ensure a peaceful transfer of responsibilities to that new body.
This was stated by the Council of Ministers in a statement in which it assured that it will request the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to send the agreement that establishes the creation of the Council.
The government of Haiti had already extended the curfew on March 17 in force in the department of Oeste, where the capital, Port-au-Prince, is located, also under a state of emergency due to the high levels of violence and looting that They had lived in those days.
With the difficult situation in Port-au-Prince, the United Nations thought about establishing an “air bridge” between Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic to allow “the flow of humanitarian aid” to the country affected by the crisis, announced in X the UN mission in Haiti.
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