A prison break in the Haitian city of Saint-Marc on Friday left 12 inmates dead, Mayor Myriam Fievre said, the third such incident in Haiti in the past few months amid a protracted humanitarian crisis fueled by gang violence.
State Prosecutor Venson Francois said the situation on Friday afternoon was under control at the prison, which housed about 540 inmates, but the local population should remain vigilant and watch for escapees.
“The situation is under control, but the results are catastrophic. All the cops’ dormitories have burnt down. The archives have burnt down. They’ve set everything on fire except their cells,” Francois said.
Photo: Reuters
Earlier in the day, unverified videos shared on social media showed people climbing over walls and smoke streaming out of walls ringed with barbed wire, a loud explosion and fire.
Walter Montas, a local government official, said the incident had developed out of a spontaneous protest as prisoners were going without food and facing appalling health conditions.
The national police did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for more information on the incident in Saint-Marc, about 88km north of the capital.
More than 7,500 people were being held in Haitian prisons at the end of June, down from nearly 12,000 before gangs broke thousands out of the two largest prisons in March, UN data showed.
The March prison break triggered a state of emergency that was followed by the resignation of former Haitian prime minister Ariel Henry, who had traveled abroad to secure Kenya’s support in a security mission to battle the armed gangs, and was unable to return due to the fighting.
Just 400 of 1,000 police pledged by Kenya have so far arrived.
With many cells filled to close to quadruple their capacity, the UN said poor conditions and a lack of necessities have resulted in the deaths of at least 109 inmates so far this year.
Local newspaper Le Nouvelliste reported that prison officials had been on strike demanding better government treatment.
It cited Francois saying there was “great fear of mutiny,” without giving more details.
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