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Gang members stormed the town of Mirebalais in central Haiti on Monday and released about 500 inmates from prison.<\/p>\n
A spokesman for Haiti’s national police said extra officers had been deployed to the town, which is located 50km (30 miles) north-east of the capital, Port-au-Prince.<\/p>\n
Police officials said they had regained control of Mirebalais, but local reports warned that many of the escaped inmates were still roaming the streets. <\/p>\n
Armed gangs are in control of almost the entire capital, but this latest attack seems to suggest that they are increasingly targeting towns in other areas of the country. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Mirebalais is located on the crossroads of two main roads, one leading north from Port-au-Prince to the coast, and another leading east to the Dominican Republic. <\/p>\n
Locals said heavily armed men had fired at buildings and passers-by and had set buildings and cars alight, sending residents fleeing for their lives.<\/p>\n
They also attacked the local police station and stormed the jail, where an estimated 500 people were being held, and freed those inside.<\/p>\n
A local radio journalist told the Associated Press news agency that the attackers belonged to two gangs – the 400 Mawozo and a group calling itself “Taliban” – which both form part of the Viv Ansam gang coalition and control northern parts of Port-au-Prince. <\/p>\n
It is thought the two gangs may be trying to gain control of key roads leading from their areas into the countryside.<\/p>\n
The 400 Mawozo is infamous for kidnapping people for ransom. They have often targeted busses travelling to and from the capital.<\/p>\n
The Taliban gang has its stronghold in Canaan, a suburb in the north of Port-au-Prince.<\/p>\n
The attack came just days after the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) in Haiti confirmed that a Kenyan police officer, Benedict Kabiru, had been shot dead<\/a> in a gang attack.<\/p>\n The multinational force has been trying to help Haiti’s national police regain control of gang-ruled areas but locals say they have so far made little progress. <\/p>\n Kabiru was the second Kenyan to be killed while on duty in Haiti.<\/p>\n In total, more than 5,600 people were killed in Haiti last year as a result of gang violence, according to United Nations figures. <\/p>\n A further 2,212 people were injured and 1,494 kidnapped in 2024, the UN said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n