The gangs attacked Mirebalais, a rural town near Haiti’s border with the Dominican Republic that has served as a haven for those escaping violence in Port-au-Prince, AP reports. Haiti National Police spokesman Lionel Lazarre confirmed the assault that sent residents fleeing through the streets with belongings balanced on their heads and hospital staff went into hiding.
“They burned part of the police station and several disabled cars in the police station yard,” Lazerre told The Miami Herald. “All of the prisoners left.”
“After those arrests, after the weapons were seized, after the vehicles that were confiscated…the threats grew,” Occéan said. “The guys today went to the prison and broke the prison and freed everyone.”
Occéan said local leaders had been requesting armored vehicles for weeks to bolster security forces in the city.
“Up until now, we have not yet received any armored vehicles,” he said. “ We have a lot of political will to fight, but we need the means to fight.”
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Source: Black Enterprise
