“More than 3,000 criminals, including murderers and kidnappers, escape amid rising violence, as the country grapples with escalating unrest.”

Haiti has declared a three-day state of emergency and imposed a nighttime curfew after armed gangs stormed the nation’s two largest prisons, releasing over 3,000 dangerous inmates, including murderers, kidnappers, and other violent criminals. The mass escape has sent shockwaves through the already unstable country, which is grappling with a surge in violence.

Finance Minister Patrick Boisvert, who is temporarily handling affairs while Prime Minister Ariel Henry is abroad seeking international support for a UN-backed security force, stated that authorities would use “all legal means” to recapture the escaped prisoners and enforce the curfew.

The violent attack on the national penitentiary in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, marked a dramatic escalation. Almost all of the 4,000 inmates at the facility escaped, leaving the overcrowded prison eerily empty. Guards were nowhere to be found, and the facility’s grounds were littered with discarded items and bodies of those killed in the chaos.

The violence, which has already claimed at least nine lives since Thursday—including four police officers—has triggered widespread fear. Targets of the attacks included police stations, the airport, and even the national football stadium.

Gang leader Jimmy Chérizier, also known as “Barbecue,” claimed responsibility for the prison break, stating that his goal was to capture high-ranking officials, including Haiti’s police chief and ministers, and prevent Prime Minister Henry from returning to the country.

The UN estimates that around 15,000 people were displaced by the violence between Thursday and Saturday. Meanwhile, the United States has advised its citizens to leave Haiti “as soon as possible,” and Canada has temporarily closed its embassy.

Haiti’s descent into chaos has raised concerns globally, as the country struggles with political instability, criminal gangs, and a humanitarian crisis