Haiti gangs torch police stations as PM’s future hangs in balance

Gangs pushing for the ouster of Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry have been setting fire to police stations in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

The police station located in the busy open-air Salomon market is the latest to be targeted, according to local media.

The gangs in the violence-wracked city stepped up their attacks when Mr Henry left for a regional summit last week.

The unrest has paralysed air traffic, which has prevented his return.

Mr Henry attempted to fly back to Port-au-Prince on Tuesday but ended up in the US territory of Puerto Rico instead.

He could not land in the Haitian capital because its international airport was closed as soldiers repelled attempts by gunmen to seize it.

Civil aviation authorities in the neighbouring Dominican Republic also turned the prime minister’s plane away, saying that they had not been provided with the necessary flight plan.

Mr Henry has not given any public statements since he visited Kenya, where he was trying to salvage a deal for the African country to lead a multi-national force to help restore order in Haiti.

Gangs in the capital took advantage of his absence to unleash a series of co-ordinated attacks. Credit: bbc.com

 

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