Croix-des-Bouquets, prison, Haiti (AP Photo / Dieu Nalio Chery)
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February 27, 2021 Haitian authorities said more than 400 inmates have fled and 25 people have died in a prison break, the country's largest and deadliest escape in a decade. Among the dead are the prison warden and a powerful gang leader. The breakout in Croix-des-Bouquets prison according to many was organized to free gang leader Arnel Joseph, who had been Haiti's most wanted fugitive until his 2019 arrest on charges including rape, kidnapping and murder. The man was driving a motorcycle after escaping, he was spotted at a checkpoint where he died in a fire fight with police. He ruled Village de Dieu, a slum in the center of Port-au-Prince, and other communities, including some in Artibonite. Authorities have not yet provided many details on the escape, except to say that 60 detainees have been caught and investigations are ongoing. Secretary of State Frantz Exantus said authorities have created several commissions to investigate who organized the escape and why. Among those killed is the director of the prison, Paul Joseph Hector.
The prison is known for an escape in 2014 in which more than 300 of the 899 inmates held at the time fled. Some believed the attack was designed to free Clifford Brandt, the son of a prominent businessman, who had been jailed since 2012 for allegedly kidnapping the adult children of a rival businessman. Brandt was captured two days later near the border with the Dominican Republic. After escaping in 2014, officials said they were taking steps to increase security in the prison built in 2012, including installing security cameras and placing ankle monitors on more dangerous prisoners. It was not immediately clear whether one of these measures has been taken. At the time of Thursday's escape, the prison contained 1,542 inmates, nearly double its capacity.
Haiti's largest prison breakout in recent history occurred after the devastating 2010 earthquake in which more than 4,200 inmates fled the infamous national penitentiary in downtown Port-au-Prince. President Jovenel Moise tweeted on Friday condemning the recent breakout and asked people to stay calm. He added that the Haitian National Police "is in charge of taking all measures to bring the situation under control". Meanwhile, Helen La Lime, Haiti's Special Representative to the UN Secretary-General, said she was deeply concerned: "I encourage the police to speed up the investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident, redouble their efforts to re-arrest the fugitives and strengthen security around prisons across the country ".