D. Lozano

Updated Wednesday, March 6, 2024-19:55

  • Haiti State of emergency and curfew after the assault and liberation of two prisons

After several days in unknown whereabouts, it has been learned that

Ariel Henry

, interim prime minister of Haiti, remains stranded

in San Juan, Puerto Rico

, where he arrived on Tuesday night after failing in his attempt to land in the Dominican Republic, a country that shares an island with yours.

It is impossible at the moment to return to Port-au-Prince, whose airport has suffered several attacks by criminal gangs who are trying to prevent their return through violence.

Additionally, air operations to and from Haiti are suspended.

After the

assault

on the two most important prisons in the country

over the weekend

and the subsequent "release" of thousands of prisoners, the declaration of a state of emergency and curfew persists in the capital area.

Henry, who assumed command of the country after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, gave in last week and

promised to hold elections

before August next year.

In the Caribbean country none of its current public positions were elected in an electoral process.

This announcement has not calmed the crisis that his country is experiencing one bit, but it has not helped the Dominican president, Luis Abinader, to allow

his aircraft to land in Santo Domingo

.

The Dominican government spokesman, Homero Figueroa, reported that Henry traveled to New York after his visit to Kenya, where he agreed with his authorities to send a thousand African police officers to combat insecurity in its streets, as requested months ago by the United Nations. United.

From the American city, authorities from both countries informally contacted Abinader's government so that Henry

could make an "indefinite stopover"

on his trip, which he

refused

as long as there was no "defined travel plan."

Despite prior warning, Henry tried, without success, to land in the neighboring country.

Given his refusal, he was forced to continue flying and land in Puerto Rico.

Despite these meetings, the US is reluctant to clearly support Henry, whom it has criticized in recent months for his authoritarian drift; even local media have published that they believe his immediate resignation is necessary.

Joe Biden's administration has opted for the political transition and for supporting the Haitian National Police, despite the fact that he has refused to contribute his troops for the military deployment approved by the UN.

Meanwhile, in the suffering Caribbean country,

unbridled violence persists

, encouraged by one of the mafia bosses, popular for a long time thanks to the use of social networks. "If the international community continues to support Henry, we are heading directly to a civil war that will end in genocide," threatened former police officer Jimmy Chérizier, alias 'Barbecue'.

"The situation is more than unbearable for the Haitian people," said Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.