Haiti gang boss tells absent prime minister to quit or face civil war

The crime lord behind a six-day gang mutiny against Haiti’s prime minister, Ariel Henry, has claimed the Caribbean country could be plunged into civil war unless its temporarily exiled leader steps down.

Over the last six days gang fighters have released thousands of inmates from prisons stormed and laid siege to strategic locations in the capital, Port-au-Prince, including two airports, police stations and a port. Nearly all flights in and out of the country’s main international airport have been cancelled, with gangs launching a renewed assault on the compound on Tuesday.

“Who is in control? I think nobody is in control,” said Jean-Marc Biquet, the head of the Médecins Sans Frontières mission in Haiti. “And my personal fear is that the policemen are going to [give up fighting and say]: ‘It’s a lost battle.’ “Then what can happen? Well I guess, total chaos.”

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Article URL : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/06/haiti-gangs-prime-minister