PORTAUPRINCE - Haiti’s capital was largely shut down Monday with residents only venturing out for essentials, AFP reporters witnessed, as authorities imposed a state of emergency after an attack on a prison freed thousands of inmates. As the latest crisis spiraled, Prime Minister Ariel Henry was still out of the country after a trip to Kenya to push for the deployment of a UN-backed multinational police mission to try to stabilize Haiti.
The prison break came in a new wave of violence sweeping through Port-au-Prince, where armed gangs who control much of the city have wreaked havoc since last week.
An AFP reporter said some locals were on the streets looking to buy water and fuel on the day after the state of emergency and a nighttime curfew were declared. Schools and banks were closed, and people sheltered for safety in schools, sports venues, gyms and public buildings, often without adequate toilets, health facilities or drinking water. “This morning the city is paralyzed,” Carlotta Pianigiani, a coordinator in Port-au-Prince for the Alima medical NGO, told AFP. “Public transport is practically at a standstill, private vehicles are rare and schools are closed.
