Armed gangs attempted to seize control of Haiti's largest international airport after thousands of people escaped prisons and went out to kill innocent civilians. 

The Incident

Gun battles across the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, left four police officers dead in a previous incident that occurred on February 29. The gang leader had mentioned during the time that an organized attack by an armed group was aiming to remove Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Two police stations were set on fire, as well as a police academy, where more than 800 cadets are training and the Toussaint-Louverture International Airport (PAP). Hundreds of inmates fled after the gang stormed Haiti's main prison while the violence escalated as well. At least three people were killed, and hundreds of inmates escaped Haiti's main prison after the gangs broke into the facility overnight. 

The Toussaint Loverture International Airport was not operating when the attack occurred. The aircraft was not in service, and no passengers were on the site to be seen. The press journalists observed that an armored truck on the tarmac was shooting at gangs to prevent them from entering the airport grounds while many employees and other workers were escaping the bullets flying near them.

Last week, the airport was impacted by the bullets briefly. However, no gang members were trying to seize control of the airport or break into the premises. The airport incident happened a few hours after the prison fee, where thousands of inmates got freed overnight by gang members who overran the two biggest prisons, except 98 inmates of the 3,798 held at the prison and 1,033 at the Croix-des-Bouquets have escaped, including 298 convicts, according to the Office of Citizen Protection.

United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric stated: 

"The secretary-general is deeply concerned by the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Port-au-Prince, where armed gangs have intensified their attacks on critical infrastructure over the weekend."

A 72-hour state of emergency began on March 3. The government stated they would attempt to track down the inmates, where the majority of them were in pre-trial detention, accused of slayings, kidnappings, and other criminal acts. Finance Minister Patrick Boivert reported, "The police were ordered to use all legal means at their disposal to enforce the curfew and apprehend all offenders."

The gangs are increasingly strengthening their actions and coordinating to determine strong targets like the Central Bank. They already established control of up to 80% of Port-au-Prince, the capital. According to the UN, the 9,000 officers who provide security for more than 11 million people keep getting overwhelmed and outgunned.

Ulrika Richardson, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti, stated that 2023 and 2024 have seen an increasing amount of murders, lynchings, rape, and other criminal acts done and committed by gang members. January has been determined as the most violent month in two years. The violence has displaced at least 15,000 people, according to the UN's immigration office.

"Please, please help us"

The office said on March 4 that the concerns have been raised for the safety of judges, prosecutors, victims, attorneys, and others following the mass escape from the prisons. Three bodies with gunshot wounds were at the entrance of the jail on Sunday.

Among a few dozen people who chose to stay in prison are 18 former Colombian soldiers who were accused of working as mercenaries in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise in July 2021. One of the men, Francisco Uribe, stated in a widely shared message on social media: "Please, please help us. They are massacring people indiscriminately inside the cells."

After gangs opened fire at Haiti's International Airport last week, the U.S. Embassy stated that it was halting all official travel to the country. At the same time, they urged all American citizens to depart as soon as possible. The surge of attacks has become more threatening recently as the prime minister went to Kenya to move ahead on the proposed U.N.-supported security mission that they are to lead. 

The prime minister has shrugged off calls for him to resign and has not stated anything when he was asked if he felt it was safe to come home. At airports in Miami (MIA) and Fort Lauderdale (FLL), all flights in and out of Haiti's two airports are cancelled. Cancelled flights mean the help that usually gets into Haiti is limited, worsening the situation there. 

The sister of CBS News Miami's Tancia Francois is of the Haitian Americans stuck in Haiti. She said, "I've been stuck in my city where I'm living now for about two months," and added, "Trying to make it into Port Au Prince so I can fly to the States, and I just can't leave."