On Sunday, after criminal gangs stormed Haiti’s two biggest jails and freed more than 3,800 criminals, the government declared a 72-hour state of emergency and a night curfew. But with gangs now exerting de facto authority over about 80% of the capital, and senior figures including the prime minister and acting president, Ariel Henry, out of the country, the government’s future appears increasingly uncertain.
In theory, Haiti’s path back from anarchy lies with an international UN-backed security force, led by 1,000 Kenyan police officers, to bring the gangs to heel – but the prospect of their arrival has led to a non-aggression pact between the warring gangs, and a declaration that they will seek to capture the police chief and government ministers.
