Haitian PM Reportedly Stays in Country After Barely Escaping From Protesting Police Officers

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry stayed in the country and moved to a safe place in the capital city of Port-au-Prince after escaping from protesting police officers, media reported on Friday.

On Thursday, police officers attacked the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, where the head of the government arrived after the summit in Argentina. Henry, heavily guarded by Haitian and foreign security forces, has left the airport in an unknown direction.

The prime minister was forced to cancel his press conference and evacuate to a safe place in Port-au-Prince, after armed demonstrators, some in police uniform and balaclavas, invaded the arrivals and departures halls of the capital airport, a local news portal reported.

The prime minister's office and private residence also came under the protesters’ attack on Thursday. Police officers without uniforms fired shots in the air, and smashed the windshields of several cars near the government building.

Police reportedly hold Henry responsible for the deaths of six officers in an armed attack by gangs on police headquarters in the city of Liancourt on Wednesday.

Haiti has long been mired in socio-political crisis, which worsened after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. The country's already understaffed law enforcement agencies have struggled to keep crime at bay as gangs continue to gain in strength. Over the past year, the inaction of the authorities has reportedly led to an unprecedented increase in the influence of armed gangs that engage in extortion and kidnapping for ransom.