Haiti has witnessed a spiral of violence and chaos in recent days, with riots and gunfire plunging the capital, Port-au-Prince, into a nightmarish scenario. Armed gangs in control of the city have demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, escalating pressure amid the deepening crisis.
On Friday night, Port-au-Prince turned into a battleground, with intense gunfire near the National Palace. Shots echoed from Champ de Mars to Nazon, Lalue, Canape-Vert, and Turgeau, creating confusion and fears of a possible assault on the National Palace by armed gangs. Guy Philippe, a former leader of a 2004 coup and currently in Haiti after serving a sentence in the U.S., demanded Ariel Henry’s resignation and expressed his desire to become president.
The capital’s airport also suffered damage from the gunfire, with images circulating on social media showing large holes in its walls. The past week has been one of the most chaotic since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, marked by the mass escape of over 3,000 prisoners, attacks on the main airport, and clashes between the military, police, and gang members.
Henry, currently in Puerto Rico, faces internal and external pressures to lead a transition that addresses the crisis and the unrestrained violence affecting Haitians, triggering an unprecedented migration flow. The situation in the Caribbean nation remains critical and challenging.