Haiti declares curfew after huge prison break

In a major prison break saw thousands of inmates have reportedly escaped after assaults on the Haiti’s two biggest prisons.

A curfew has been imposed in the state for 72 hours as government said that it would set out to find the killers, kidnappers and other violent criminals, who flee in the attacks.

According to Reuters, the curfew will be in force from 6pm (23:00 GMT) until 5am (10:00 GMT).

“The police were ordered to use all legal means at their disposal to enforce the curfew and apprehend all offenders,” said a statement from Finance Minister Patrick Boisvert.

Gangs led by Jimmy Cherizier, a former police officer known as Barbecue, are trying to force Henry from power.

Pierre Esperance, the Haitian National Human Rights Defense Network Executive Director, said only about 100 of the National Penitentiary’s estimated 3,800 inmates remained inside after the assault on Saturday night.

“We counted many prisoners’ bodies,” he added.

A reporter from the AFP news agency who visited the prison on Sunday said they saw about a dozen bodies outside it.

The gate was open and there was “hardly anyone” left inside, they added.

The Reuters news agency reported that there were no signs of police officers at the prison and its main door was open.

“I’m the only one left in my cell,” one unidentified inmate told Reuters. “We were asleep when we heard the sound of bullets. The cell barriers are broken.”

In a statement, the Haitian government said police tried to repel the gang attack against that prison and at another facility called Croix des Bouquets.

Esperance said it was not immediately clear how many inmates escaped from the second prison, which he said held 1,450 inmates.

Authorities warned people to be careful and “to continue to support the National Police who will do everything possible to track down fleeing prisoners.

The prime minister’s exact whereabouts remained unclear on Sunday. Henry had been due to return from a visit to Kenya where he signed a security deal to tackle gang violence.