Haiti extends state of emergency and curfew due to escalation of violence

This Thursday, the Government of Haiti extended the state of emergency for a month in the department of Oeste, where the capital Port-au-Prince is located, and extended the curfew for another four days due to the situation of insecurity and violence.

In a decree published in a special issue of the official newspaper of Haiti, ‘Le Moniteur’, and signed by the Council of Ministers, it is reported that «the order that establishes the state of emergency in matters of security throughout the entire extension of the department of the West for a period of one month«, reported EFE.

Specifically, in a subsequent statement signed by the interim Prime Minister, Patrick Michel Boivert, in the absence of the Head of Government Ariel Henry, it is detailed that the state of emergency will apply from March 7 to April 3.

In addition, the Government decrees a curfew in that department for this Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 6:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time and on Sunday from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time.

The objective of this measure, from which public force officers on duty, firefighters, ambulance personnel, health workers and duly identified journalists are excluded, is to “restore order and take appropriate measures in order to regain control of the situation,” the text adds.

Violence in the streets

Violence increased after the Prime Minister’s commitment to hold elections no later than August 2025 was announced on Thursday last week.

Since then, the gangs, who claim to be pursuing Ariel Henry’s departure from power, have increased their attacks and shootings have taken place, especially in the metropolitan area of ​​Port-au-Prince.

Last Saturday, the assault on the two main prisons in the capital by armed groups allowed more than 3,000 prisoners to escape.

The escalation of violence began with Ariel Henry out of the country after attending the Caribbean Community (Caricom) summit in Guyana and traveling to Kenya to address the multinational security mission approved by the UN and that that African country will lead.

Now Henry is in Puerto Rico, where he landed on Tuesday after not being able to do so in the Dominican Republic and after several days with his whereabouts unknown.