Haiti government declares state of emergency, curfew

Haiti’s government declared a state of emergency and implemented a nighttime curfew on Sunday in an effort to quell a wave of violence ignited by a gang assault on the capital city’s main prison, which allowed thousands of inmates to escape.

According to a statement released by the government, the state of emergency and curfew from 6:00 pm to 5:00 am will be effective from Sunday until Wednesday, March 6. These measures will be applicable to the Ouest region, encompassing the capital, Port-au-Prince, and are subject to renewal.

The government stated that the objective of these measures is to “re-establish order and implement appropriate measures to regain control of the situation.” Economy Minister Patrick Michel Boisvert signed the statement as the country’s acting prime minister. Prime Minister Ariel Henry was in Kenya last week to sign an agreement for the deployment of police from the East African country to lead a UN-backed law and order mission in the gang-plagued Caribbean nation.