~theguardian-world | Bookmarks (34)

Armed gangs attack international airport and free over 3,800 prisoners in seemingly coordinated effort to oust Ariel HenryHaiti crisis: how did it get so bad, what is the role of gangs, and is there a way out?The future of Haiti’s government appeared increasingly uncertain on Monday, after armed gangs attacked the country’s international airport and freed more than 3,800 prisoners this weekend in what...

Attack on two prisons comes amid outbreak of violence as PM in Kenya trying to salvage UN-backed security forceHaiti’s government has declared a state of emergency and a night-time curfew in a bid to regain control of the streets after an explosion of violence over the weekend saw armed gang members storm the country’s two biggest prisons, with thousands of inmates escaping.The 72-hour state...

It’s not clear if the new agreement can circumvent the Kenyan high court’s earlier ruling that such a deployment is unconstitutionalKenya and Haiti have a security deal to try to salvage a plan for Nairobi to deploy 1,000 police officers to the troubled Caribbean nation to help combat gang violence that has surged to unprecedented levels.Kenya agreed in October to lead a UN-authorized international...

Airport among targets in Port-au-Prince as Jimmy Chérizier, known as ‘Barbecue’, vows to capture top officials in PM’s absenceHeavy gunfire paralyzed Haiti’s capital on Thursday as a powerful gang leader warned he would try to capture the country’s police chief and government ministers.The move came during the absence of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who is in Kenya trying to finalize details for the deployment...

Martine Moïse alleged to have conspired with former PM to kill president and replace him herselfA Haitian judge in charge of the investigation into the assassination in 2021 of the country’s last president, Jovenel Moïse, has charged 50 people including his widow and a former prime minister, according to a document leaked to local media.According to the 122-page document from Judge Walther Wesser Voltaire,...

Haitian American Joseph Vincent, who admitted to helping plot assassination of Jovenel Moïse, is among 11 people accusedJoseph Vincent, a former informant for the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), was handed a life sentence by a US court on Friday for his role in the 2021 assassination of Haiti’s president.A Haitian American national, Vincent admitted to helping plot to kill the Haitian president Jovenel...

Judge says UN-backed proposals to tackle gangs in Caribbean country contravene Kenya’s constitutionKenya’s high court has ruled against a government plan to deploy hundreds of police to Haiti to lead a UN-backed multinational mission to fight escalating gang violence in the Caribbean country.Enock Chacha Mwita, the judge who issued the ruling, said: “Any decision by any state organ or state officer to deploy police...

Thick smoke rises above strategic neighbourhood of Solino as frantic residents call into radio stations for helpHaiti crisis: how did it get so bad, and is there a way out?Gang members have targeted a strategic neighbourhood in Haiti’s capital, in a four-day attack which has left residents trapped in their homes by flaming barricades and automatic gunfire.Shots echoed throughout Solino on Thursday as thick...

Resurgence classified as grade 3 emergency by WHO, with southern Africa and Haiti among those hardest hitCholera cases soared last year, according to preliminary data from the World Health Organization, which recorded 4,000 cholera deaths and 667,000 cases globally.The numbers surpassed that of 2022, and the WHO has classified the global resurgence of cholera as a grade 3 emergency, its highest internal health emergency...