A state of emergency has been declared in Haiti as armed gangs have caused chaos by breaking into multiple prisons, resulting in a mass prison break. Over the weekend, gunmen stormed several prisons, releasing as many as 4000 inmates from one facility alone, which originally housed around 1400 prisoners. The situation has escalated tensions, particularly among those incarcerated for the murder of former President Jovenel Moise in 2021.
Amidst the chaos, corpses were discovered both inside the prisons and on the streets, with some victims found bound with their hands behind their backs. The violence also led to disruptions in communication, as a fiber optic cable connection was severed during the rampage, causing an internet outage.
